Teen A COLLEGE STUDENT’S CRASH COURSE IN MANAGING PLAQUE
PSORIASIS
In the spring of 2016, Kate was excitedly preparing for the rites of passage most high school seniors look forward to - prom, graduation, turning 18 and getting ready for college. What she wasn’t preparing for was a chronic illness diagnosis.
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t started out as a small patch of dry skin on Kate’s neck that began to spread to her scalp in thick, red patches. This must be an allergic reaction, Kate thought, before seeking help at an urgent care center. There, a physician suggested the patches were a fungal rash and recommended special shampoos. But the patches soon covered large areas of her scalp and neck, and were now accompanied by a painful, burning sensation. Kate spent many days trying to hide her patches from other people. Kate visited a dermatologist who prescribed another treatment option, but unfortunately it didn’t relieve her symptoms. As her condition worsened, she saw other specialists, hoping to find some relief. But her symptoms persisted. Now, Kate had to prepare to go off to college while still searching for answers about this unknown condition. “Starting college is hard enough - living in a new place, meeting new people,
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FLUENTIAL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020
starting new classes and activities,” said Kate. “I was focused on trying to hide what was happening to my body. I started wearing a baseball cap and avoided wearing dark clothing.” Kate was determined to get to the bottom of what was going on with her skin. After multiple visits to several different dermatologists, a biopsy finally revealed the truth - Kate had moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease and its exact cause is unknown. Research suggests that an overactive immune system may cause skin cells to pile up on the surface of the skin, which then form psoriasis lesions or plaques and can lead to physical pain, itching, skin tightness and a burning sensation.1 More than 8 million Americans are currently living with psoriasis,2 and plaque psoriasis is the most common form.3
