Understanding Psoriasis
- Beloved singer/songwriter and actress LeAnn Rimes, 39, was diagnosed with psoriasis, a chronic skin condition, when she was 2 years old.
- She recently decided to pose nude and show off the red patches that dot her lower back and legs as a way to raise awareness and show others that they're not alone in their battle with psoriasis.
- Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune skin condition that presents with red scaly plaques on the skin. This condition tends to have a genetic predisposition.
It wasn't until she was in her 20s that she found a treatment that worked for her, keeping her red patches at bay for a bit. Sixteen years went by and LeAnn's condition seemed to finally be under control. That is, until 2020.
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Singer/songwriter LeAnn Rimes performs onstage during the Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 8, 2021. Photo by Rick Kern/WireImage"Maybe it's the fact that this year has really put things into perspective, but I now feel like I'm at a point in my life where I just want to break out of that cage," she said. "We're at a moment in time right now when we're all being stripped of everything we thought we needed and now we can see how worthy and good enough we are without all of the bullshit."
"We're worthy without the makeup and the artifice. We're worthy of love without having to work for it," she added.
To see her exclusive Glamour magazine photos, click here.
Understanding Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune skin condition that presents with red scaly plaques on the skin.
This condition tends to have a genetic predisposition. However, "really anybody can get it, but the peak sort of seems to be between the ages of 30 and 50, but again, it can happen to anybody," Dr. Saakshi Khattri, a certified rheumatologist dermatologist and internist practicing at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, recently told SurvivorNet.
What is Psoriasis? Understanding the Different Types and Symptoms of This Rare Skin Condition
Dr. Khattri explained that when a person has psoriasis, basically what's happening is that the body's own immune system "in some ways is going on this overdrive and causing changes on the skin that are seen clinically. And that's how a diagnosis of psoriasis is made."
There are many types of this skin condition, Dr. Khattri noted.
"I sort of joke … that not all psoriasis is equal," she said.
But, the "most ubiquitous" presentation of psoriasis is what is known as psoriasis vulgaris. This form of the condition presents with those red scaly plaques mentioned earlier in this article.
"If you have psoriasis, it's also important to understand that we have a lot of options to treat your psoriasis," she said. "If one doesn't work, we can move to a second. We can move to a third … We have an excellent systemic model that can, if successful, result in all clearance of your psoriasis."
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