How others look at me

I think I am lucky to have reached the time in my life when I no longer worry about the appearance of my psoriasis.  When I was younger, I had a real complex about it, particularly on one occasion I remember well back in the 80's, when I got up out of a friends chocolate brown velvet sofa and left practically my arm print in white, greasy flakes on the arm!  Mortified or what!

Nowadays, if I see someone looking sideways at me, I usually turn to them and say, 'Its OK, it is psoriasis, nothing catching'.  They are the ones embarrassed then :)  I guess this is something that comes with age  - I would never have done it in my 30's, when I would wear long sleeves on the hottest of days to hide it.

That said, this latest outbreak of Erythrodermic Psoriasis is something else again.  For the first time for years I am conscious of the stares.

I have to wear long sleeves in the summer and I don't go to the beach anymore which is so sad because I used to love being on the beach:( its so depressing! and thank god I havent scalp psoriasis

I grew up in Cyprus until I was 15.  I was very conscious of my psoriasis which was mainly on my legs, arms and scalp.  Even in the middle of summer I wore long cotton trousers and long sleeved tops as the sun really affected my psoriasis.  My dad found a very quiet beach in Morphou Bay so I was able to go swimming, other than this I never uncovered my arms and legs in public.

When I returned to England in my late teens I felt that everyone just stared at me and I heard remarks by grown women to their children to "keep away from her because she is dirty and scabby", need I say anymore.

Fortunately, now I am in my 70's I am practically clear of all signs so life is a lot better for me.

I feel I was robbed of a normal life as a teen.  I was never offered any counselling and was very depressed.

peoples reactions to psoriasis can be very bad and can have a psychological effect on the sufferer mainly because they insist on calling it a disease and not just a skin complaint like acne its because of that word disease that people are afraid of it and do not really understand it .i have often wondered if in history people who had psoriasis were not classed as lepers and shunned by society i have also wondered why it has never be classed as a disability when it obviously is especially if you develop psoratic arthritis .

Hey! I love fashion and I really feel like the fashion industry is taking a step to promote kindness and is becoming more accepting. Winnie Harlow has vitiligo, Kendall Jenner has acne, Ashley Graham is curvy, etc. They still promote a very stereotyped perfect body but it's getting better. I feel I accept my psoriasis better now that I know skin conditions can be featured in magazines. Am I being too naive maybe?

I’m definitely a take me as I am or not at all girl and I’ve learned over the years that other people do not pay rent in my head so I will not let them live there easy said than done with schizophrenia too. But I do have uvb therapy coming up so I’m hoping for improvement on my visible psoriasis 

i started with psoriasis over 30yrs ago apparently i got it after i got married so the doc told me , my nerves went into panic mode when i got married as i had responsibilities for someone else aswell as my self .i got married we have had 4 children plus 4 grandchildren , i used to go places n was very very nervous which made me itch n scratch n bleed , i used to take baby wipes to clean up where i have been sitting . i am a Jehovahs witness i still get nervous at meetings every week , but when we have our assemblies [big gatherings ] i get really nervous and used to end up in first aid asking someone to put creams on my back while i tried not to scream because of my broken skin it was so sore i cried in pain , but the first aiders assured me its ok not to be embarassed n that seamed to put me at ease for awhile , untill next time but they were lovely to me , i get very nervous in crowds because of my claustrophobia . but now everyone nows me in first aid so thats half my battle . hope this helps someone else who is suffering from psoriasis . Neil

@Neil1964 that's a tough story! My doctor told me that stress could be a cause of psoriasis flare-ups but I never really found a direct link... I should investigate more on that!

i was told by my doc stress causes flare ups , and he advised me to try doing something i liked to decrease my stress levels , so i go fishing to keep my levels easier to deal with so far its working for me . just try to do something that you enjoy and relaxes you. Neil

I'm getting married in a couple of months and it's starting to flare up again with the stress. My partner is supportive, but I just feel so ugly right now. I'm getting fitted for the dress and I don't even want to look in the mirror. Trying to destress with yoga, has this helped anyone else?