A DEBILITATING skin condition left Nicola Jones covered in sores and prompting strangers to ask her husband if she was an acid attack victim.
The 33-year-old has been suffering with psoriasis for nearly 15 years and constantly battles with online trolls telling her she is “disgusting”.
Nicola Jones has had psoriasis since she was 19Credit: Nicola Jones
Nicola uses Instagram to help her followers as she documents what creams and treatments help herCredit: Nicola Jones
Nicola said the condition destroyed her self confidence after strangers started to comment on her skin.
She began suffering when she was 19, and at first thought it was just dandruff.
When she finally went to the doctor after six months Nicola was diagnosed with scalp psoriasis.
August is psoriasis awareness month and it’s thought that prevlence of the condition is 1.3–2.2 per cent in the UK.
People thought my skin condition meant that I would contaminate others
Nicola Jones
It can occur at any age, although is uncommon in children and most cases are in people under the age of 35.
Nicola explained: “I was prescribed a steroid-based scalp treatment but it was like putting acid on my scalp. It was so painful I couldn’t bear to use it.”
Because of the amount of dead skin, Nicola never wore her hair up and would avoid wearing black clothes.
“Being in a queue with people behind me would fill me with dread. I was worried they thought I was dirty because of all the flaky skin on my clothes and in my hair.
“People assume you have these things because you don’t wash not because you have a skin condition,” she added.
RUDE COMMENTS
At first the condition just affected her scalp, but when her dad was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer, the condition spread due to the amount of emotional stress she was under.
Over the years it continued to spread across her body, and she ended up with a patch the size of a grapefruit.
One of the hardest things about the condition, she says, is that people will often stare and make rude comments.
But one afternoon, when Nicola had been shopping with her partner Dan, 35, an electrical engineer, the comments became too much.
She said: “Once in M&S I was looking at some tops in the clothing section and a lady made a comment to her husband that I looked like an acid attack victim.
“I locked myself in the changing room and cried.
“Another time I was in B&Q and I asked a store assistant where something was and she made a grimace and asked me what had happened to my face.”
While these comments became a frequent occurrence for Nicola, she said it was something she never gets used to.
She added: “Another time I was in the gym’s pool which I go to every morning before work to exercise and de-stress before work. A woman came up to me and told me I should not go swimming in the pool.
“At first I thought there was something wrong with the pool and she was warning me and then I realised she was talking about my skin. She said there were kids in the pool and I’d contaminate them.”
What is psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes red, flaky, crusty patches of skin covered with silvery scales.
These patches normally appear on your elbows, knees, scalp and lower back, but can appear anywhere on your body.
Most people are only affected with small patches. In some cases, the patches can be itchy or sore.
It affects around two per cent of the UK population.
Why does it happen?
People with psoriasis have an increased production of skin cells.
Skin cells are normally made and replaced every three to four weeks, but in psoriasis this process only lasts about three to seven days.
The resulting build-up of skin cells is what creates the patches associated with psoriasis.
It is thought to be a problem with the immune system and can run in families.
How is it treated?
There’s no cure for psoriasis, but a range of treatments can improve symptoms and the appearance of skin patches.
In most cases, the first treatment used will be a topical treatment, such as vitamin D analogues or topical corticosteroids.
Topical treatments are creams and ointments applied to the skin.
If these aren’t effective, or your condition is more severe, a treatment called phototherapy may be used.
Phototherapy involves exposing your skin to certain types of ultraviolet light.
In severe cases, where the above treatments are ineffective, systemic treatments may be used. These are oral or injected medicines that work throughout the whole body.
Source: NHS
In order to raise awareness and end the stigma of the skin condition, Nicola started an Instagram account where she regularly posts updates on her skin journey.
She said: “When I started up my Instagram I got trolled, with one troll telling me I was disgusting and should be drowned at birth.
“But overall far more positive things come from my Instagram and being more open about my psoriasis and talking with other people about their psoriasis and sharing advice and experiences has really helped my confidence.”
It was through the Instagram community that she says she found Oregon hair products.
She now uses the shampoo and conditioner as well as the skin serum.
Nicola said she had used the serum on a really sore stubborn patch of psoriasis on her forearm, which had been there for years, and which she said everyone would stare at.
She added: “Over a month the patch reduced in size and went from a livid red to a pale brown colour. Before trying the Oregon Serum on it nothing had worked at reducing it in size or redness.”
Nicola updates her skin journey on Instagram and now uses a range of products which best suit her needs on a daily basis.
Nicola still has flare ups, but uses a range of products to help her keep on top of her breakoutsCredit: Nicola Jones
