A woman with a rare skin condition is unable to wear bras or tight-fitting clothes because she will break out in blister-like spots.
Rosie Daniels, 22, from Manchester, suffers from psoriasis – a condition that causes red and crusty patches of skin covered with silvery scales – which covers 80% of her body.
She was diagnosed with the immune-mediated disease aged 12, which causes red, flaky, crusty patches of skin whenever it gets irritated.
The condition – which is also suffered by Kim Kardashian – started on her scalp and as the years went by, it spread across the whole of her body, leaving her covered in bright red burning marks.
Social media influencer Rosie says she’s unable to wear tight fitting clothes or even bras as it will irritate her skin, which makes her feel like her entire body is sunburned.
“It just feels too tight against my chest when I wear a bra – it really can be painful,” Rosie told NeedToKnow.online.
“When it flares up it hurts to lay down in bed or change sleeping position.
“Not only is there really bad pain, but the itching becomes unbearable as well to the point where I will itch so much that my skin will bleed.
“It really can hurt.”
Rosie was diagnosed by her GP aged 12 and was given countless prescriptions to try different medical creams and ointments – but nothing seemed to work.
Embarrassed at how red her scalp was, Rosie spent her schooldays religiously tying her hair up in a bid for other pupils to not notice.
Just three years later, Rosie’s condition went from being just on her scalp to spreading across 80% of her body.
She said: “I don’t remember it being a big deal when I first went to the doctors.
“No one told me how it is something I will have for life or to expect extreme flare-ups.
“The initial thing doctors gave me was special shampoos for the psoriasis in my scalp.
“Once it then started to appear on my body, they gave me steroid creams.
“These creams work rapidly and do clear the flare in a matter of days but will always stop working for me a week after using them and my flare will return.
“Ever since then it’s been a case of trial and error.”
Over the years Rosie has tried to control flare ups by cutting gluten, eating a vegan diet and using light treatments – but has had no luck.
Instead, she reaches out to people online in a bid to raise awareness of the condition.
Rosie added: “My motto is ‘be real, not perfect’.
“I speak so openly about my skin online. When it comes to anyone else suffering with psoriasis everyone is so different and unique as to why they have flared up.
“Advice that works for some people won’t work for others. I want to raise awareness and normalise this skin condition as people and brands are still so unfamiliar with it.
“Another reason is to reach body confidence and for people to understand you don’t have to be perfect to be happy, just comfortable in your own skin.”
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