Sasha’s Psoriasis Skin Story
“I’ve learned to really embrace
my skin”
This is Skin Stories, where we get under the skin of what it’s like to live with certain skin conditions – from eczema to psoriasis. It’s a safe space where real people share the relationship that they have with their skin, along with their management tips and solutions. Here, Sasha, 39, shares what it’s like to live with psoriasis.
Meet Sasha
Sasha is a mum-of-three from Leeds who experiences psoriasis on her hands, knees, and elbows. She has lived with psoriasis for over 30 years, since she was eight years old.
“My great grandfather had it and my granny always used to say that my hands looked like her dads used to, so I know that it’s hereditary. My children sometimes say, ‘Oh mummy, your hands look really sore’, but they don’t hurt they just do sometimes look red if I’m having a flare-up.”
What are your trigger watchouts?
Like many people who suffer with psoriasis, Sasha’s symptoms tend to flare up due to stress. As a teenager, her symptoms would get really bad around exam time. She has also found that certain detergents can make her condition worse, for example, if she spent a long time washing up, and cold weather in the winter months can aggravate her symptoms, causing redness.
What have you done to soothe your skin?
Sasha has tried lots of different treatments to help soothe and manage her symptoms – from different creams to light treatments. When she was 10 years old, she used to go to the hospital twice a week to have light treatments, where she would stand in a big sunbed machine.
“When I was a teenager, I used to feel very self-conscious about my skin, I thought it looked very red, so I’d always try to hide my hands. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to live with it – the creams are better, which helps, and I’ve learned how to look after my skin more.”
What makes you comfortable in your skin
Over time, Sashas has learned to really embrace her skin: “This is me. This is the way that I am”. She’s become much more confident in her own skin and has learned how to look after it – always keeping a moisturiser handy so she’s never caught out. Modelling has also helped to increase her confidence with showing off her body and her psoriasis, and she feels comfortable talking about it with anyone who wants to ask questions.
