Jonathan Van Ness Talks Psoriasis, Skin Care, and Self-Acceptance

Jonathan Van Ness is just one of many popular figures to come forward about their struggles with psoriasis.

It always helps me to know that there are other people out there that are dealing with psoriasis related issues.

The world currently knows Jonathan Van Ness as the lovable, hilarious, long-haired personality on Netflix’s reboot of Queer Eye, which has quickly become something of a sob-inducing phenomenon since it first aired in February. As one-fifth of the Fab Five, Van Ness’s role as The Groomer is to make the show’s participants feel like their best selves via grooming makeovers — and by empowering them with the tools to get the same results on their own. It’s not hard to see how skilled the hairstylist is at connecting with contestants on-screen, but two weeks ago, Van Ness resonated with people in a totally new way when he opened up about having psoriasis on Instagram. As someone who struggles with a chronic skin condition herself, I was eager to hear what he had to say in person about his experience — and just as I expected, he didn’t disappoint. Ahead, find out how Van Ness cares for his psoriasis, what he wants others with the condition to know, and how he finally found self-acceptance through it all. “I use this steroid cream [called] Enstilar, which is like a foam and is super expensive because it’s not covered by insurance, but it really lays it all down. It really sticks on your skin for a while, which I love, [because] I’ve tried some other prescription creams and oils, but you can tell they just come off fast. Also, other ones I’ve used it take like two weeks to control the flare-up, but I swear to god I use the Enstilar three nights in a row and it’s gone for a minute.” Source: Jonathan Van Ness Talks Psoriasis, Skin Care, and Self-Acceptance: Exclusive | Allure

Pool Fitness Can Hold the Key to Staying in Shape for Psoriatic Arthritis

A lot of people are finding that pool workouts are great for those of us with arthritis and other joint issues. Having full body resistance and some buoyancy to take the weight off of the joints makes it a no-brainer.

If you don’t own a pool, there are plenty of places that you can get access to them. Look around in your area and do what you can to make time to get some pool time in!

Has anyone ever tried doing pool therapy to stay in shape and get some arthritis relief?

I’ve recently had more and more arthritis symptoms so I’m starting to look for good ways to keep going for as long as possible.

Aquatic exercises offer a natural resistance when you’re underwater, and movements are very low-impact on bones, muscles and joints, according to the Mayo Clinic. Anyone can take this class, Martinsen said. There are many modifications to make it a hard workout or beginner-friendly, and students with injuries tend to feel more secure in the water. Martinsen picks movements for class that will hit the big muscle groups, and she wants to activate the areas that students use in day-to-day activities. Source: A splash of fitness: Aquatic exercise takes the pressure off in more ways than one | Duluth News Tribune

80% of Psoriasis Patients Faced Discrimination or Humiliation

I know that I’ve felt like people were staring at me before, but I had no idea it was as widespread as this.

I’m lucky compared to many people that suffer from psoriasis. I can hide mine pretty easily but a lot of people aren’t quite so lucky.

Have any of you experienced people staring at you (or worse) because of psoriasis? If you feel like sharing with us, it may just help other out!

A global survey conducted by Novartis, Clear About Psoriasis, found that more than 80% of psoriasis patients face discrimination or humiliation due to the disease. This is the world’s largest global survey to date. It involved 8,338 participants with moderate-to-severe psoriasis across 31 countries, with the objective of understanding the physical and psychological impacts of psoriasis on a patient. Source: Study: 80% of psoriasis patients faced discrimination or humiliation

Instagram Accused of Adding to Skin Condition Stigma – Blocking Psoriasis Hashtags!

It’s one thing for people on people on social media to be rude and attack those that look different. It’s a completely different thing for the social media platform itself to censor out those that look different!

Instagram has been accused of censorship and contributing towards the stigma of a skin condition after blocking four hashtags from their platform which relate to the skin condition psoriasis. The hashtags #psoriasisuk, #psoriasiscommunity, #psoriasisawareness and #getyourskinout have all been blocked. If you try to search for any one of these hashtags a small amount of images are shown above a message explaining that other images using the hashtag “are currently hidden because the (Instagram) community has reported some content that may not meet Instagram’s community guidelines.” Source: Instagram accused of adding to skin condition stigma by blocking psoriasis hashtags

For more psoriasis news, check out our psoriasis news page.



Be sure to read our reviews of the best shampoo for psoriasis and the best over the counter psoriasis cream.