Over 125 million people worldwide live with psoriasis, so it should come as no surprise that celebrities would be among those who have the skin condition. When famous people like musician Art Garfunkel, actress and model Cara Delevingne, and singer LeAnn Rimes revealed their diagnoses, it made the psoriasis room bigger, contributing to awareness and discussion of the condition around the world. This helps others with psoriasis feel less alone.

One common thread expressed by celebrities with psoriasis is the fact that they are frequently looking for solutions to alleviate the plaques, or patches, on their skin. In an interview in Canadian Jewish News, Garfunkel noted that during a trip to Israel, he floated in the Dead Sea to get relief from the condition. "I have psoriasis,” he said, “and I've been told that if you float in that salty, buoyant water, it's very good for the skin. I found it not so much therapeutic as beautiful."

Rimes has said she’s sampled every possible solution she could to treat her psoriasis. “I tried everything I could to treat it: steroid creams, major medications — I even tried being wrapped in coal tar with Saran Wrap,” she wrote in a 2020 essay where she discussed her diagnosis.

Complementary and at-home therapies for psoriasis are common topics of discussion on MyPsoriasisTeam. One member wrote, “Has anyone tried seaweed creams?” Another said, “I use aloe vera gel, neem oil, castor, rosemary, and lavender, plus tea tree oil shampoo. There are so many awesome ingredients out there, and everybody is different. It really is trial and error.”

Another theme among celebrities with psoriasis involves how much time they spent trying to cover up their plaques. “For so much of my life, I felt like I had to hide,” Rimes wrote. “When you’re hiding your physical body, there’s so much that rolls over into your emotional and spiritual mental health. You feel like you’re holding yourself back — like you’ve been caged in.”

In an interview with People, Delevingne discussed how she would spend long periods of time in a makeup chair at photo shoots, while makeup artists covered her plaques with foundation. “People would put on gloves and not want to touch me because they thought it was leprosy or something,” she said.

Members of MyPsoriasisTeam often discuss the stigma associated with the condition, and how celebrity representation can help ease that issue. “I appreciate the growing awareness people have of psoriasis,” one member wrote. “Part of that growing awareness definitely comes from celebrities talking about it.”

Another member noted, “It helps me to hear that celebrities have this condition, too. … Celebrities can wipe away some of the myth and the stigma, so I like them to be talking about it more in depth!”

Members Make the Community Stronger

Since MyPsoriasisTeam launched in 2015, the network has grown to more than 94,000 members strong — that's a big room! Just as the public announcements from people like Garfunkel, Delevingne, and Rimes amplify the voices of those with psoriasis, each new member on MyPsoriasisTeam makes our community stronger.

“We should welcome as much attention to help find ways to live with this autoimmune issue,” one MyPsoraisisTeam member said. “I am not ashamed, and I’m very willing to deal and learn as much as I can to help myself and others.”

Without a psoriasis community, it can be easy to feel isolated, as if you're the only one struggling with psoriasis symptoms like plaques, itching, and soreness. Whether you have spoken directly with other members or not, by joining MyPsoriasisTeam and reading shared experiences, you have become part of the community.

Here are a few easy actions you can take to welcome and support other members:

• Hug or like someone's post.
• Say hello to a new member.
• Answer a question in Q+A.
• Add someone to your team.
• Consider other ways to get started on MyPsoriasisTeam.

Together we make a stronger community!

Talk With Others Who Understand

On MyPsoriasisTeam, over 94,000 people living with psoriasis come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with the condition.