Do You Love Your Skin?

When I developed psoriasis over 50 years ago I knew my skin was a very important part of who I am. As I got older I learned that the skin is the body’s largest organ that we have. Our skin is our protecting layer to protect the rest of the body. Can you imagine not having any skin? I do. At one point in my life, all my skin fell off. Can you imagine how miserable that must have felt? Our skin protects us from the cold and the hot, it helps to protect our organs from dirt, dust, and germs around us. If you have psoriasis like I do, then you know we are different and by now know that our skin grows at an enormous rate.

Super-skin

As a child, I would learn that when I fell and hurt myself, the skin would heal and grow back at rapid speed. I would have brand new skin in hours of getting a scrap. The skin was always repairing itself at super speed. One of the most embarrassing things about my skin growing so rapidly was that it would fall off everywhere and anytime.

I was never a person who loved their skin or have I said a kind word about my skin; ever. As a matter of fact, I hated the skin I was in. More importantly, I hated the word psoriasis. I had this disease over 80% of my body, there was nothing to like at all unless you like people pointing, staring and asking questions all the time. Or the ones who know how to cure you. I had plaque psoriasis from my head to my toes for over 50 years. I would dream about how it felt to have skin with no scales. Or what it felt like to wear a short sleeve shirt. I never thought a day would come where I could see just a little bit of skin. When you go your whole life with this disease, you don’t think that things will get better. It was decade after decade of the same thing.

Getting to love

My skin was who I was, always very itchy, in pain, scaly and always bleeding. I have known this skin for as long as I could remember. When I finally got the proper treatments and saw a little bit of clearing. I jump for joy. I remember the first day I saw some clear skin, the only thing I could do was rub that spot for hours. It was an amazing moment. When I saw significant clearing I could just rub my body all over. I couldn’t stop touching my clear skin. You would have to walk in my shoes to understand this one.

I tell everyone that I meet with plaque psoriasis that there is hope out there and that one day you will love your skin. Stay positive and remember you are not alone in this journey. It’s amazing how our biggest organ can heal itself. Eat right, take your medication and exercise.

I’m happy for clear skin. I have never been 100% clear, but I am happy where I’m at. I don’t itch as much, bleed as much or in so much pain. I can sleep most nights and don’t scratch holes on my skin. I love the skin that I’m in.