Woman's Painful Psoriasis Often Bleeds Through Clothes
- Severe psoriasis initially misdiagnosed as chicken pox
- Skin covered by sores that often bleed trough clothing
- Causes red, itchy and scaly patches on the skin
- Topical treatments help, but no cure
"April started off as the worst month of my life," said Grace. "I had no idea what was going on, and it was scary."
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Grace works in a children's nursery, and was first told by doctors she had chicken pox. She began to notice something was wrong after developing tonsillitis. Once she recovered, Grace returned to work and found chicken pox was being passed around children in the nursery.Soon after, she began to break out in spots and had trouble breathing.
It all seemed to make sense for Grace. She believed it was chicken pox for the second time in her life, but deep down she believed something wasn't right.
She went to a doctor who prescribed her tablets for chicken pox, but the doctor noted they had never seen a case like it.
Grace’s breathing improved, but the spots began to grow bigger and more blotchy, filling with pus.
She says the medication didn't help and the itching became worse. In May, Grace was referred to a dermatologist, who told her it was psoriasis.
Causes of Psoriasis
According to the Mayo Clinic, psoriasis is a skin disease that causes red, itchy and scaly patches to form on the skin, caused by the increased production of skin cells.
A person's skin cells are normally replaced every three to four weeks, however, in psoriasis this is sped up, with skin replacing every three to seven days.
Researchers say it's not contagious, its cause is not fully understood, and there is no cure. It can be painful, interfere with sleep and make it hard to concentrate. In some cases, psoriasis can cause skin to bleed.
Psoriasis is thought to be an immune system problem. Its triggers include infections, stress, and cold. The most common symptom is a rash on the skin, but sometimes the rash involves the nails or joints.
Treatment involves removing scales on the skin while stopping skin cells from growing so quickly. Topical ointments, light therapy, and medications can offer relief.
Living With Discomfort
'It's now the last week of July and I have not been to the hospital once, nor have I been seen again, and I feel like I'm trying to work my disease out all by myself.'
Grace has still not been seen by a specialist for the disease, and suffers severe discomfort from the itching and dry skin of psoriasis.
Now, she has to be extremely careful as the spots can bleed out and alarm those around her.
'I've also had a hard time with my dead skin. If I only moisturize once a day, then my dry skin will be horrific, and it becomes painful," she said.
Grace lives with intense pain and dead skin falling off daily, and her condition has been very damaging to her body confidence.
'I feel like I'm all alone sometimes, because I've got no one to guide me in what I'm going through,' said Grace. 'Finding creams that suit me, changing my routine, having to be more careful of things around me because if I cut one of my psoriasis spots very slightly then I bleed a lot."
Yet despite her initial anxiety around being seen with her condition, Grace now wears shorts showing her visible scars to help normalize the appearance of psoriasis and to try and end the stigma around skin disorders.
'I was never body conscious, but since developing this disease and having nearly 40-degree heat this summer, what I wear has become such a big obstacle to face," she said.
"I went to Disneyland Paris and that was terrifying, because I had hundreds of people staring at, talking and pointing at me. As someone who only knows a few basic words of French, I couldn't understand what they were saying, nor could I go and talk to them about it."
Thankfully, Grace has the support of a strong network of friends and family. She has also found a way to use her skin condition as a teaching tool.
"The children at the nursery would be curious about it, and ask me what it was, and I would tell them it was fairy kisses or if they were a bit older, I'd try and explain it to them," she said.
"I haven't had this disease for long, and I know there are people who have it worse. But if I can make a difference to another person's life or make them feel like they go out with this disease then I will feel happy."
For Grace, her skin is part of her identity until it isn't anymore.
"To my fellow psoriasis sufferers, you are beautiful and don't let anything let you think otherwise."
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