3 Lies Psoriasis Caused Me to Believe

At one point in my life, if psoriasis was a person, it could be described as a manipulative, controlling, emotionally draining, entity that refused to let me live. 

Here are 3 lies psoriasis caused me to believe and why they are in fact completely untrue.

If I would have just done this... I wouldn't have psoriasis

I was diagnosed at 7 after a bad case of chicken pox. During this time my grandmother, who was one of my parental guardians at the time, had her mother pass away. In the midst of me being an itchy mess she had to travel to another state to take care of funeral arrangements for my great-grandmother, leaving me in the care of other people.

After my chicken pox left, my skin still didn't look healthy. My grandmother took me to the doctor, who determined I had psoriasis. Until this day my grandmother is convinced had she had the opportunity to take care of me herself when I had chicken pox, I would have never encountered psoriasis.

Why this is a lie: In spite of the chicken pox, my psoriasis would have come eventually because obviously, I carry the gene for the disease. There is nothing anyone could have done to prevent psoriasis from invading my life, especially since at that time we didn't realize it was something hereditary. Psoriasis is unpredictable.

My inspiration to you: If psoriasis sideswiped you unexpectedly just know there is nothing you did wrong, it's not your fault. Now is the time to focus on solutions, such as a finding an effective treatment.

People will reject you

I was always scared to tell people I had psoriasis because I feared what they would think of me. The biggest worry was being rejected. I felt unlovable and not accepted due to my disease.

Why this is a lie: Since removing the black veil from my disease I have received an outpouring of support. 99% of the people I have revealed my condition to have been extremely supportive. I have received more love, acceptance, and tolerance than I would have ever imagined.

The truth is most of us are dealing with SOMETHING that we are insecure about or attempting to overcome, so even if it's not psoriasis people can still relate because they too have their challenges.

My inspiration to you: I had to become gradually comfortable with revealing my condition to the world, it didn't happen overnight. I started with blogging online, then once I saw others could relate and that people supported my journey I became more comfortable.

Start small, I challenge you to tell someone who doesn't know you have psoriasis about your condition, this is how you slowly build trust. Remember, anyone who has something nasty to say about something you can't help and have no control over, is a negative reflection of them, not you.

You will never find an effective treatment

20 years ago there were very limited treatment options for people living with psoriasis. Most of our treatment choices consisted of phototherapy and topical treatments. I used treatments, which failed every time.

Most didn't work at all or only gave me temporary relief, I thought finding a successful treatment was an unattainable goal.

Why this is a lie: We are in a progressive era, where the best medical treatment options are being cultivated to treat all types of diseases including psoriasis. There are dozens of different types of treatment options for psoriasis and even more in the pipeline waiting to be approved by the US Federal Drug and Administration.

My inspiration to you: Don't give up on finding an effective treatment, even if your attempts seem bleak, even if it is too expensive, there are ways you can navigate the health system to make treatments affordable to you. If you are having trouble receiving the treatment you need at an affordable price check out the National Psoriasis Foundation patient navigation center, they can help you find resources.

On the other side of psoriasis lies

Psoriasis in combination with societal views of beauty caused me to believe a lot of ideas and theories which I later learned were the lies of my insecurities and low self-esteem.

I've learned to work through those false tales and now I have a more positive outlook on my condition.