A mother has told how her painful skin condition left her feeling ‘trapped in a body she hated’. Vanessa Lawrence-French, 42, has had severe psoriasis since she was 18 and says the condition has had a devastating impact on her self-confidence.
She says when she has a flare up of the condition she feels so self-conscious she avoids leaving her house.
Vanessa Lawrence-French (pictured with her
husband, Alan, and sons, Ethan and Damian) was diagnosed with psoriasis
when she was 18 and frequently has severe flare ups of the condition
The primary school worker from Harrow on the Hill, in North West London, told MailOnline: ‘Society puts out this image that women have to be perfect, and when you are less than that it's hard.’
Vanessa, who has two children - Damian, eight, and Ethan, seven - was diagnosed with psoriasis when she was 18.
“In my 20s and 30s I always blamed broken relationships on my psoriasis. I don’t think guys could come to terms with the fact I wasn’t ‘perfect’!”
Indeed, a recent study conducted by Exorex, a company which produces psoriasis treatments, revealed that a quarter of people with the condition believe they have been dumped as a result.
She believes the condition was triggered by the stress she experienced following the suicide of one of her school friends.
When she first developed psoriasis, she had also just recovered from a severe throat infection.
When she has a flare up of the condition it
makes her so self-conscious that she avoids going out. The flare ups can
last for up to three months
She said: 'Society puts out this image that women have to be perfect and when you are less than that it is hard'
Even now, flare ups can be triggered by the strep B throat infections she is prone to.
Vanessa still gets frequent flare ups of psoriasis - the most recent being last winter - which last for up to three months.
She told MailOnline: ‘When I have a real flare up I have to cover up because I become quite self-conscious.
‘It affects my self-confidence and I don’t want to go out. I feel sorry for my children seeing me like that.’
She added: ‘Psoriasis is a horrid skin disease to live with, no matter what your age.
‘It is painful, itchy, can be unsightly and therefore impacts on what you wear, whether you swim, go to the beach, go to a beauty spa - it can really destroy your self-confidence and make you resent your own body.’
Vanessa was diagnosed when she was 18 (pictured)
- she believes her first flare up was triggered by the stress she
experienced after the suicide of a friend
Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes red, flaky, crusty patches of skin to develop.
These patches are normally found on the elbows, knees, scalp and lower back but they can appear anywhere on the body.
Psoriasis affects about two per cent of people in the UK but the severity varies significantly - for some people it is just a minor irritation, for others it has a major impact on their quality of life.
It is a chronic condition that usually involves periods of few symptoms followed by periods of more severe symptoms.
Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes red,
flaky, crusty patches of skin to develop. These patches are normally
found on the elbows, knees, scalp and lower back but they can appear
anywhere on the body
Vanessa said: 'It is very itchy but if you scratch the spots then they can bleed and become infected'
Vanessa said: ‘It is very itchy but if you scratch the spots then they can bleed and become infected.
‘I try not to scratch in the day but sometimes I scratch in the night and wake up with blood on the sheets.’
She explained that during her last flare up, her skin became so painful she had to give up her hobby of running.
She said: ‘I had to stop running completely because my skin was so painful. It was all over my body – my arms, my legs, my stomach, even my face.’
During her last flare up, her skin became so painful she had to give up her hobby of running
She added: ‘My husband, Alan, is very accepting. He is upset when I get upset but he is very good.
‘He comes with me to see the consultants and we agree on the line of medication together.’
She now has to take immunosuppressive drugs to control her psoriasis - the condition is thought to result from the increased production of skin cells which is related to a problem with the immune system.
In people with psoriasis the immune system attacks healthy skin cells.
She now takes immunosuppressive drugs to control
her psoriasis - the condition is thought to result from the increased
production of skin cells which is related to a problem with the immune
system
The drugs mean that she is more prone to illness and infection.
They can also affect kidney and liver function so Mrs Lawrence-French has to have a blood test every week to ensure the organs’ function is normal.
WHAT IS PSORIASIS?
Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes red, flaky, crusty patches of skin to develop.
These patches are normally on the elbows, knees, scalp and lower back but they can appear anywhere on the body.
Most people only have small patches but in some cases it can be much more severe.
The patches can be very itchy and sore.
Psoriasis affects about two per cent of people in the UK and it most often develops in adults under the age of 35.
It is a chronic condition which usually involves periods with few symptoms followed by periods with more severe symptoms.
It occurs when the body produces too many skin cells which results in a build up.
It is thought to be caused by a problem with the immune system, it is also thought to have a genetic element.
It is not contagious.
There is no cure but it can often be treated effectively with creams.
Source: NHS Choices
These patches are normally on the elbows, knees, scalp and lower back but they can appear anywhere on the body.
Most people only have small patches but in some cases it can be much more severe.
The patches can be very itchy and sore.
Psoriasis affects about two per cent of people in the UK and it most often develops in adults under the age of 35.
It is a chronic condition which usually involves periods with few symptoms followed by periods with more severe symptoms.
It occurs when the body produces too many skin cells which results in a build up.
It is thought to be caused by a problem with the immune system, it is also thought to have a genetic element.
It is not contagious.
There is no cure but it can often be treated effectively with creams.
Source: NHS Choices
She said: ‘I didn’t really know much about it when I was diagnosed – I didn’t have any help or guidance.
‘The Psoriasis Association are brilliant. They are a great source of support – I am happy to help them.’
The Exorex poll also found that four in ten people with the condition – which also affects Kim Kardashian and Cara Delevingne - feel their partner has found them unattractive because of their flaky skin.
The poll also revealed that 16 per cent of sufferers have avoided going on a date, and 15 per cent will not go on holiday, for fear of having to bare all.
One in six sufferers even claim psoriasis has held them back in their job.
Miss Delevingne has suggested that she may quit the catwalk as a result of the condition and Kim Kardashian said she also feared her career would be over when she was diagnosed.
The condition leaves 40 per cent of sufferers embarrassed, 22 per cent depressed and seven per cent suicidal, the survey of 950 patients found.
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