'The genetics are complex': Psoriasis is not just a skin disease

The chronic inflammatory skin disorder can expose a child to schoolyard name-calling and make them self-conscious. But systemic medications and biologic treatments have helped to revolutionise the treatment of severe cases 

Amelia Green pictured with her mother Deirdre from Freemount Co Cork. Picture: Howard Crowdy

WHEN Amelia Withers woke up one morning with lots of spots on her skin, her mum, Deirdre Green, thought the then four-year-old had chicken pox.

“It wasn’t a big rash. It was loads of spots all over her body. It started small and got bigger. They were on her stomach, back, thighs and neck,” recalls the mum of two, who lives in Freemount, Co Cork.