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Kim Kardashian and her carefully-cultivated look are famous for numerous reasons: the curves, the hair, the lashes, the contouring. In beauty circles, she is also known for having quite incredible skin – so flawless it looks almost doll-like, say those who have seen her close-up.
However, the ever-candid 38-year-old is also a long-term sufferer of psoriasis, a chronic skin disease for which there is no cure. It is estimated that up to three per cent of the population of the UK and Ireland live with the condition, which can occur anywhere on the body.
This week Kardashian shared a photo of her "psoriasis face" on Instagram Stories, and last year tweeted: "Why am I now suffering psoriasis on my face". These aren't the only times time she has been vocal about her skin troubles - as well as mentioning it in an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, she wrote about psoriasis on her blog in 2016 year, saying:
Sometimes I just feel like it's my big flaw and everyone knows about it, so why cover it? I'm always hoping for a cure, of course, but in the meantime, I'm learning to just accept it as a part of who I am.
According to the Psoriasis Association, the condition seems to occur in two 'peaks' – first becoming an issue between your late teens and early thirties before flaring up again past the age of 50.
What causes it?
“Psoriasis can be caused by a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental triggers such as stress, certain medicines or infection,” explains the consultant dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokesperson Dr Anjali Mahto.
Cara Delevingne is another celebrity who has spoken of her troubles with psoriasis. “It wasn’t a good time,” the supermodel told The Times in 2015. “It was like, flight and fight for months. Just constantly on edge. It is a mental thing as well because if you hate yourself and your body and the way you look, it just gets worse and worse.”
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