Jess T's Story

When Jess was younger she felt like she had to cope with her psoriasis alone. Now she is using her experience to raise awareness of the condition and tackle stigma.

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I am Jess and I am 18 years old. I have been struggling with psoriasis from the age of 10, on my scalp, but I was given my diagnosis when I was 14. I remember sitting in the dermatologist room and hoping that they wouldn’t give me the diagnosis because I knew it was incurable and all I wanted was for the red little spots to disappear. From then, I felt as though I was alone and as if it made me disgusting so I tried to cover it up. I was using creams, ointments and emollients to try to treat my condition but it just seemed to keep spreading.

I was given the opportunity to undergo phototherapy (for 20 weeks) at the hospital. It worked like magic but I didn’t look like myself. It was gone. But 2-3 months later it came straight back and just as bad, maybe even worse. I am currently waiting to start my treatment with methotrexate in hope that it will ease it.

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I have learnt, through my journey that my psoriasis is unique and there is no one else with the same shapes and sizes as me. It’s beautiful and so I have finally been able to accept and love myself. I want to raise awareness about psoriasis because before I was diagnosed I had never heard of it, and we need to break this stigma around skin conditions and all fight our condition together. You are not alone.

Follow Jess on Instagram @jess.psoriasis

Read more real-life stories from young people living with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.