For the past 25 years, one UK woman has been suffering from a painful and incurable skin condition that causes dry, flaky patches to form all over her body. And while she’s now made piece with the condition, it wasn’t always so easy.
At just five years old, Lianne Hunter was diagnosed with psoriasis after getting chicken pox, and as a child, her parents raised her to be confident and comfortable with herself. However, as she got older, she started noticing the stares and the whispers from people who thought her condition was contagious. “As I got to teen years I could feel myself shying away from big crowds as I became worried that people might make fun of me,” Hunter said.
While psoriasis is just a part of life for Hunter, she couldn’t help but feel self-conscious and anxious for the first time when she was actually kicked out of a swimming pool because of how her skin looked. “While in the water, a lifeguard asked me to come out of the pool as there was concern from fellow swimmers that I was contagious,” she said.
“At the time I was very angry and upset, as I tried to explain that it was only psoriasis but it didn’t make any difference and I was asked to leave the pool,” Hunter said. Rather than let the experience crush her self-confidence, the now 29-year-old is sharing her story to educate people about her condition. “I am a big believer of showing it off and helping people to understand what it is.”
“If I catch somebody’s eye, I just smile and say ‘it’s psoriasis, a condition where patches of my skin multiply faster than the normal rate.’ It’s not exactly correct, but it’s usually enough for people to understand it’s not contagious and either puts their mind at ease or prompts further questions,” Hunter said. “The negativity is often down to lack of awareness and I have found that by explaining to people what it is they tend to change their reaction.”
“It’s important to remember that everybody has something that they are conscious of – whether they tell you or not – if it’s not psoriasis, it could be a different skin condition, or their weight, their hair, their teeth, so it’s just another thing to be aware of and learn how to live with.”
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[Featured image: Lianne Hunter/Caters]
Woman Kicked Out Of Pool Because Of Skin Condition is an article from: LifeDaily