How one family manages their psoriasis

Deidre Cochran and her daughters were diagnosed with psoriasis at an early age. Learn how they overcame the stigma associated with the disease, and how you can take control of your psoriasis by getting the right treatment.

Transcript

00:00

They never really said psoriasis at first. And I battled that through elementary and middle school.

00:08

I believe I've had psoriasis since second grade, mostly located on the ear. That was the worst part of it is that if I

00:17

had my hair pulled up, you would see that and then, you know.

00:26

When people approach me and say, what's wrong with your skin? What's going on? I just tell them flat out, oh, it's just psoriasis.

00:32

It's just a skin condition. It's not contagious. You know, it's just something I have to deal with.

00:42

My daughters have been diagnosed with plaque psoriasis. I noticed that I had psoriasis in middle school, which

00:50

is really tough. It was just a pain every day at school. The other kids would see it and they would be like, oh, you have dandruff.

00:57

And they wouldn't really understand what it was.

01:05

I'm a parent, so I want every child to be perfect. And in my eyes, my kids are perfect. Even if they do have psoriasis, it's nothing to be ashamed of.

01:13

They can be whoever they want to be and that does not define who they are. It's hard to deal with. But I would say, definitely go to your dermatologist.

01:23

They're going to be the ones to help you. They're not there to shame you. Get diagnosed so you can get the medicines

01:30

that you need to help you calm the psoriasis flare up so you can be able to go through your day

01:39

and not let that hold you back. You got to keep going.