Showing your body in public

[Gareth125]

I kept covered up for 31 years , last year my P finally got better after being on Humira . I previously was covered from head to toe , and below my knees covered completely . I plucked up the courage and went to the supermarket to do some shopping in a pair of bermuda shorts . Then this stupid woman made a remark " my you have caught the sun on your legs haven't you?"  As far as I was concerned that was it , the long trousers went on as soon as i got back home . People think they are being kind by making statements like " it's not that bad " and " no one notices" but we all know that thats cr.p . The problem is after having P for so many years our own perception of how it might look  to others is altered . It's not how it looks , but how we feel about it ourselves and how it can suddenly that can all change by some idiotic comment . This woman meant no harm , but it was how she touched a raw nerve that made it a problem in my head . The good news is this summer I'm gonna try again , my legs ( I think ) are even clearer than they were last year. I have also signed up to swimming lessons because I never know how long my skin will stay this way . Its like sitting your bum on an active volcano , you never know when its gonna erupt next  

[Nicknackwack]

Years ago I remember being slung out of a public swimming baths because of my p but times have changed and so have I !

If you consider that 1.3 million people in the UK have some form of skin disease then it sort of puts things in perspective and I take some sort of comfort from that and turn the negative into a positive realising that I'm not alone ~ sort of reverse thinking if you like  

I also accept my condition. It's part of me and although it does'nt determine who I am, it certainly is part of what I am  

The only time I cover up is in meetings at work where I feel a little more self conscious and my private space is slightly invaded but I certainly have no problem telling people that I suffer from p. The reaction is always positive, sympathetic and strangely someone always knows someone else who suffers from it   which helps  

[Joan J]

I have become braver the older I have become, now I will roll up my sleeves , but not if it is really bad.  I think it looks so ugly - I am not sure if it would bother me if people looked now - it may be a bit of vanity - I can hide my skin - so I do.  When I was a teenager was the worst - pretending I hated short skirts, short sleeves, swimming gym and a million other things - so I did not have to expose myself.  I was lucky that my face was okay so I grew a tough exterior and fronted up with that

[Kosjenka]

in everday life when going to work, classes and similar i wear short sleeves.. summer heats are unbearable, so i sent P to hell in those days 
when i'm on the beach i definitely don't have the time of my life being half naked in front of so many people, but i try to be positive and enjoy the sun and the sea 
also, i have to say that i don't remember seeing any other person with P on the beach

[ellieh]

For as long as I remember I have hidden it, I've even managed to end up making myself ill in hot summer weather here wearing long sleeves and trousers out in the sun, and although I had quite a few boyfriends my husband was the 1st man ever allowed to actually see my skin!
Now although I still tend to cover up as much as possible I refuse to let this stop my daughter enjoy a perfectly normal childhood, so if that means going swimming or to the beach I do it and no matter how much I hate it I don't let on.
Maybe because my p got so much worse last year but it was the first year I have actually spotted quite a few other people with p on the beach.

[karen t]

I can relate to everything everyone is saying.  I've had p since I was about 8 and I'm nearly 45(august) I went through a stage when I was younger would never wear short sleeves, but my legs weren't to bad so I could wear shorts,skirts etc.

My p has never been really bad but I hate it on my arms, I was free from on my arms for years when I turned 40 it seemed to flare up(not as bad as some peoples) but to me I was very self concious of it. I would never go swimming unless I had to when my kids small I would sometimes go in the pool with them but most times my husband took them in. I always thought I was missing out.

When I'm on holiday I don't worry so much nowadays I will wear bikinis etc, and I've seen quite a few other people with p and other skin conditions. The 1st day is always the worst, but I think to myself why shouldn't I do what I want to. I always think people might think its catching. It really is mind over matter, and it is hard but you only get one life so try and make the most of it.

[briven]

When I was young I was reluctant to show my body to myself let alone anyone else. Decades on and I'm mostly not bothered. However, although I have no issues with my appearance---apart from a secret desire to resemble  someone like George Clooney--- through experience I am aware of the curiosity and indeed fear psoriasis can cause in people who are ignorant of what it is. Also we often can't win when dealing with P. If we show we are somehow perversely showing off and intentionally drawing attention to ourselves. If we don't show we are weak and over sensitive. Either way we can appear--and I quote here from experience  "attention seekers". Personally I show as if it wasn't their --unless I think it's particularly bad which isn't often. Mostly people respond with a glance then ignore, which is what I think we should try and do. It might go away then, at least in our minds.

Unfortunately we don't see many P sufferers in public swimming pools or beaches etc; suggesting that the  image conscious society we live in undermines so many people's opinions of themselves, I think this is so very very sad. So what can I say but --show show and show again.

[Gareth125]

tbh , I think there is another reason why you don't see people with P swimming at the swimming pool , if we are very flakey and leaving a trail of P flakes on the surface I wouldn't want other people to be swimming in that ( i certainly wouldn't want to P or no P ) . If we moisurise before we go into the pool we can then leave a nice rainbow coloured oil slick on the water surface instead . Not my idea of good hygiene . I even hate using public toilets , sunbeds , hotel rooms etc etc all because of the ( ready brek) trail I would leave behind . Not very nice if you are a member of the public and come accross it

[jotee]

For me it depends on two factors I think; how bad my psoriasis is and how I am feeling about myself in general. If both of these things are quite high then I am a total hider. I won't go swimming. If I am in a public changing room I literally shrink into the corner and hope noone notices me. I've had episodes where I've been shopping and seen myself in a mirror and have had to buy a hat to wear instantly to cover the psoriasis up on my forehead.  I wear clothes that hide my psoriasis at these times too.

Sometimes maybe my psoriasis is bad and but am feeling quite upbeat within myself and I am a lot more confident about showing my skin. And vice versa.

I do notice however that my psoriasis manages to permeate into other areas of my physical appearance. I don't look after myself so much (in terms of weight or clothes etc) because I think "well I have this horrible skin so what's the point of bothering with my physical image?" - this was actually a unconscious thought for years and I only realised it recently. I had my hair cut today!  

[Tangles (Donna)]

well did you see the wedding photos I was showing the P on my arms and which is my things i usually hide

but since i have been here I dont hide it any more

if people have the issue then its their issue