Your Stories - Teenagers with Psoriasis

Problems caused by psoriasis - Charlotte, Newport, Wales

I'm 15 years old and I have had Psoriasis for 6 years straight. When I was younger it wasn't a big problem, but now I'm older and at the age of caring about my image and looks, it has become difficult. I've gone through all the creams, all the light treatments(puva etc.) and now trying to go into a course of injections/pills. My mum doesn't want me to go on them, because of the effects, but I feel I need them. Over the last year my skin has been so sore and painful. I have it all over my scalp and patches on my face, my legs, arms and my back. I have my prom coming soon and no one in my school really knows I have it, because I hide it so well. So me wearing a dress with me covered in red bleeding patches is not good. My main friends know I have it and I've said to them I'm not going to the prom because of my skin. They all say don't worry about other people, but they don't understand how hard it is. I wake up every morning at 6am and shower off my creams and then re-apply them and then when I get home I have another shower at 6pm to remove the cream and re-apply it afterwards. My mum and dad now think I have an OCD problem. If I don't shower twice a day my scalp builds up and when I do shower the next day is so painful for me I don't go to school. This also effects me going out. I hardly sleep over at my mates house or go out because of it. It's too painful. Now it's winter my skin is drying quicker and cracks. I hate it and cannot cope, so my mum saying that I'm not aloud to have the injection/pills upsets me. She doesn't understand what I'm really going through. I'm not saying she doesn't help and support me, but I need the support through this treatment and i need her ok to go ahead with it. I don't know what to do. Can anyone help? (November 2008) Contact Charlotte

Relationships and psoriasis - Ashleigh, Saskatchewan, Canada

I am a 21 year old 3rd year nursing student and was diagnosed with psoriasis approx. 2 and half years ago. It was a relief at the time to finally know what it was that was itching and causing gross patches on my scalp. About 6 months into my diagnosis psoriasis covered about 75% of my body (entire scalp, face, ears, back of neck, elbows, knees, trunk, back, groin pretty much everywhere). I was treated with PUVA therapy and topical creams (time consuming and expensive medications) which cleared my psoriasis in 6 weeks and gave me what I liked to call "a prescription suntan." It was so nice when it was in remission, I could wear what I wanted and not have to worry about wearing my hair a certain way to make sure it covers my neck and not wear long sleeves all the time. My psoriasis is back with a vengeance now and I am doing UVB treatment this time. Also the lotions I got for my face for the last time have been causing acne as well! So I am being treated for that too. Some of my friends know about my condition and probably half of my classmates know about it as well. This doesn't make me more comfortable though, I still wear the long sleeves, and my hair down and I even got bangs to cover the lesions on my forehead. I have been off and on dating the same guy for just over two years and I have made excuses for not calling him and ignoring him when my psoriasis has been flaring just because I don't want him to see that. Worse is, I don't want to tell him about it and then have him reject me, I know that anyone that rejects someone over something they can't control is just mean but no matter what I would always think that even if it was over something else. I know I want to tell him I just don't want to make it seem like a dealbreaker..."take it or leave it" gesture. Should I tell him when I am flaring or wait til I'm cleared...i just don't know. (December 2007)
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Emotional issues with psoriasis - Laela, Vancouver, Canada

I am 15 years old now and have had psoriasis for about 6 years. I was in the third grade when I first got a big patch of psoriasis on the lower side of my right leg. But it didn't really matter because I was only a kid and no one really payed attention to it. It started coming back when I was 12 years old and that's when I started getting really self conscious. But it went away again.

Now it is worst then ever. I don't have as much as some people first there were just big patches on my lover legs and upper arms now there are smaller patches on my back, face, scalp, and it's starting to form in my ears.

It's hard being a teen with this condition because even though my doctors say the sunlight will help I'm still conscious about going out where people can see this. So all summer I have long sleeved tops on and jeans and I'm tired of it.

And now that the summer is fast approaching I'm stressing out even more which is making it worse. Only my family know about it, and I feel as if it will never go away. (May 2007)
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