‘Psoriasis kills your Confidence'

Claire Reece, 38, was in despair when she developed an aggressive skin condition, but thankfully she found a way through…

- Kirstin Chaplin

My husband, Scott, and I were in the bedroom getting ready for a night out. ‘What’s this on my back?’ I asked him.

‘It just looks like a small rash,’ he replied. Later on in the pub I showed my friends.

‘Perhaps you’re allergic to something,’ they suggested.

But the problem progressed  at such a rapid rate that, within a month, the small rash had spread from my back, neck and chest, and my whole body was covered in big, angry red patches.

The doctor told me I was suffering from chronic psoriasis and put me on a waiting list for UV light therapy at Broomfield Hospital in Essex.

While I waited for an appointment, I used the creams he’d prescribed but they didn’t make any difference and my condition got worse. My scalp became so dry that if I turned my head, big flakes would fall out – it was like the worst dandruff in the world.

I lived on antihistamines because my skin was so itchy and although it wasn’t necessarily painful, it would wake me in the night because it was uncomfortable. I hated Scott seeing me this way. 

I didn’t feel attractive and I didn’t want him to touch me.