“Oh, you have psoriasis.”
“Huh? What’s that?”
I was diagnosed with psoriasis by chance. It happened one day when I was accompanying my mum to the doctor’s, for her arthritis appointment. I was having one of those bad days when my scalp was extra dry and flaky. Out of curiosity, the doctor took a closer look at my head and told me that what I have is called psoriasis. After years of suffering with this condition, and thinking it’s an allergic reaction of some kind, I felt relieved as I finally have a proper word to describe my condition.
The doctor then gave me some reading materials, but I wanted to learn even more about my condition, so I started scouring the internet for more information through YouTube videos and articles about psoriasis.
As I work in events and stage productions, I am sometimes required to work very long hours which can be quite stressful. This then causes my skin to flare-up but thankfully for me, it is normally mild and easily manageable.
My flare-ups are also triggered during auditions which causes me to look like a big red lobster at times. The entertainment industry can be very harsh and judgmental when it comes to appearances. Luckily for me, I am often surrounded by people who are either accepting or enlightened of my condition.
However, I still do meet people who will look at me with disgust in their eyes and avoid me as if I am contagious. On some days, the way these people react towards my appearance makes me feel incredibly self-conscious. It is very hurtful, shameful and quite depressing. Therefore, I usually shy away from taking photos of myself especially when my skin is acting up. It reminds me too much of all the judgmental looks and bad memories.
Before I was diagnosed, I remember an incident when I had to juggle between two big musical productions. My stress levels were at an all-time high – my sleeping patterns were off, and I wasn’t eating at proper times. This caused a breakout all over and especially on my head to itch all the time and there would be flakes of dry skin coming off my head. At first, I thought it was dandruff, but it became worse and my precious hair started to fall off. Because of that, I developed new patches behind my ears and around my underarms. I felt horrible. After the productions were done, my flares started to calm down as I managed to regulate my stress levels and lifestyle.
I count myself lucky as I only have mild psoriasis. I cannot imagine if I had severe psoriasis at the time, I may have been hospitalized due to bad flare-ups. So, I urge anyone who have psoriasis symptoms to get a proper diagnosis and recommended treatment from your doctors. I have learned that this condition is much more manageable when it is mild to moderate. Act now before it is too late!
CTX.PsO.01/MY2103058522
Syed Z.
