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LeAnn Rimes: How Do I Live With Psoriasis?
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Country music superstar LeAnn Rimes talks about her life with psoriasis—and how good she feels today
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By Kalia Doner
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MediZine's Healthy Living Spring 2009
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When LeAnn Rimes walks into a room, a kind of serene glow emanates from her, making her seem both younger and older than her 26 years. She is sweet and a touch toughened, not just by life on the road—after all, you have to go through a lot of good and bad times to sell more than 20 million records—but also by her experiences with psoriasis.
Psoriasis is a chronic, noncontagious condition that appears on the skin, causing itchy or sore patches. Faulty signals from the immune system cause the growth cycle of skin cells to speed up, so that cells pile up instead of being shed. The result can be both uncomfortable and unsightly, causing great embarrassment to those with the condition.
LeAnn was first diagnosed at age two; at one point in her life, 80 percent of her body was covered with psoriatic patches.
“I have a big personality, and I love being around people, but as a child I didn’t want to do normal kid stuff because of the psoriasis,” she recalls. “The only chance I had to show my personality was through my music. I tried so many treatments for so long. Nothing really worked well, and I was pretty closed off.”
But LeAnn is a strong young woman, and she kept searching and striving. “I want to be in control of my whole life, not just my psoriasis and my treatment,” she explains. And now her efforts—revamping her eating habits, learning to manage stress and finally finding medical therapies that are effective—are paying off.
Today, she regularly does breathing exercises and yoga. “I found out what stresses me, and I work to defuse those things, because they can cause flares.” And as for her diet? “I used to eat a lot of fried foods and drink colas.
But never now. And it seems to make the treatment more effective.”
At this point, with skin that is smooth and flawless, she encounters the world fearlessly. “I have been clear for about four and a half years, and I want to tell people there is hope,” LeAnn says. “You can find a treatment that works. Don’t give up.”
To raise awareness of psoriasis, she has joined forces with the American Academy of Dermatology and the National Psoriasis Foundation. Her goals include encouraging sufferers to get help from their dermatologists in coping with the disease and to find support for the effects psoriasis has on their lives.
The nationwide awareness campaign, “Stop Hiding from Psoriasis,” may “help people find hope,” says LeAnn. “Having battled severe psoriasis my whole life, I’ve had to deal with the emotional and physical toll psoriasis has had on my self-esteem and confidence. Fortunately, now I no longer let psoriasis define who I am or how I feel about myself. I hope by joining this effort and sharing my story, others will be empowered to stop hiding from their psoriasis and better manage their disease and not let it limit them or their aspirations.”
LeAnn’s doctor for the past 15 years, Nashville dermatologist Michael Zanolli, M.D., has seen the young performer blossom as she began to get her psoriasis under control.
“I think in the past five or six years, LeAnn has come into her own and is not afraid of meeting challenges head on. She has great support from her family.”
“So many people suffer in silence,” says LeAnn, “but there are so many treatment choices. I just want people to know that they can reach out and get help that works.”
A National Psoriasis Foundation survey found that at least half of the patients surveyed feel their psoriasis leads others to treat them differently
because of the disease. The survey also found that:
• About half of respondents report that psoriasis affects their self-esteem (57%) and the way they view themselves (46%).
• More than half agree that their psoriasis leads others to stare
(61%) or think their condition is contagious (56%). This is especially
true among respondents with very severe cases (70%).
Another recent survey found:
• The majority of American adults say they become uncomfortable
around those with psoriasis, particularly when touching or shaking
hands (52%) or accepting a date (50%).
• If diagnosed with psoriasis, adults responded they would be
uncomfortable doing many everyday activities such as wearing clothes
that reveal their skin (82%) or being intimate with others (80%).
• Seventy-three percent of those surveyed felt they would be
uncomfortable dating or meeting new people if diagnosed with the
disease.
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