Psoriasis sufferers can live life through a lens

PSORIASIS sufferers needn’t be camera-shy — actress Jenny Kavanagh hasn’t let the condition stop her living her life in front of the lens.

But the 23-year-old Fair City favourite revealed one in five women and two in five men who have psoriasis are too embarrassed or disheartened by it to confide even in their GP.

Jenny, best-known for playing soap bad girl Cleo Collins, is spearheading an educational campaign aimed at urging sufferers to seek help and dispelling some of the myths that can create prejudice among the general public.

The Clear as Mud campaign found in a survey conducted in recent weeks that while most people knew psoriasis was a skin condition, almost one in ten thought it was a liver disease.

Others mistakenly believed it was contagious or felt, unnecessarily, that sufferers should be banned from certain occupations such as working with food or providing personal care to others.

Most surprising, however, was the finding that 39% of male and 18% of female sufferers said they didn’t see a healthcare professional or receive professional care for the condition.

The truth about psoriasis is that it is one of the common skin conditions, affecting about 100,000 people in Ireland to varying degrees, and that while it’s still a mystery why the skin often suddenly starts reproducing cells at an increased rate, leading to the tell-tale scaling and flaking, the range and effectiveness of treatments is improving all the time.

Ronan Farrelly of the Psoriasis Association Ireland said he hoped the campaign would help remove the stigma surrounding the condition and encourage people who have been suffering in silence to get help.

“This initiative will seek to dispel the myths surrounding psoriasis. Those of us with the condition often feel frustrated with the treatment they receive from people who do not understand the condition. This can often lead to a sense of hopelessness,” he said.

Upbeat Jenny Kavanagh, the antithesis of hopelessness, reassured sufferers that the condition didn’t have to hold them back. “Having had psoriasis since I was eight years old, I understand the frustration and embarrassment that can sometimes be associated with the condition.

lInformation and advice will be available from a stand dedicated to the Clear as Mud campaign at the National Ploughing Championships in Athy this week, or by contacting Psoriasis Association Ireland at PO Box 4233, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin or [e-mail].

Information is also available from the mypsoriasis.ie website

Picture: Conor Healy