Belfast woman says psoriasis doesn't define her life

Summarised from Belfast Live's report · Updated 5 Nov, 20:39 · Archive

A Belfast woman who has lived with psoriasis since childhood says the condition does not define or stop her.

Alyssa Shaw, 34, from the Shankill area of Belfast, has lived with psoriasis since childhood and shared her story during Psoriasis Awareness Week. Psoriasis is a chronic immune condition that affects the skin and is associated with psoriatic arthritis. It affects 2–3% of the UK population, potentially 1.8 million people, with no current cure, though it can be managed with appropriate treatment and advice.

Shaw first developed plaque psoriasis on her scalp and elbows as a child. At 15 or 16, after catching glandular fever, she developed guttate psoriasis, which left her covered in spots resembling chickenpox. She was treated with steroid creams and underwent UVB sunbed therapy at hospital, initially experiencing periods of clear skin lasting several months. After treatment in April last year produced only four weeks of clear skin, she was put on methotrexate in November but reports symptoms returning in recent weeks.

Read the report

• 'I've lived with psoriasis since childhood but it doesn't define me'Alyssa Shaw has lived with psoriasis since she was eight and shared her story this Psoriasis Awareness WeekBelfast Live · 5 Nov, 19:53

In this story: Alyssa Shaw · Belfast · Shankill

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