From healthcentral.com
After years of misdiagnoses and flare-ups, Claire Spurgin stopped chasing a cure—and found peace by embracing her psoriasis instead
When psoriasis first appeared on Claire Spurgin’s skin in 2016, she was 19 and completely unaware of what was happening. What started as a small cluster of red dots on her torso quickly spread across her belly, back, and eventually her entire body.
“I went to the doctor many times and was prescribed many different topical treatments, which did nothing to relieve my symptoms because they simply didn’t know what they were treating,” says Spurgin, who now lives on a farm in Essex, England, with her husband and 6-month-old baby. “Originally, they told me I had ringworm; another misdiagnosis was bug bites. It was a constant cycle of me going to the doctors, them prescribing a cream, and me going back again when it didn’t help.”
After months of trying ineffective treatments, Spurgin broke down in tears in her doctor’s office. That emotional moment finally led to a referral to a dermatologist—a major turning point. “The specialist was incredible and diagnosed me with guttate psoriasis within seconds of looking at my body,” she says. Guttate psoriasis is a type marked by red, teardrop-shaped spots.
Finding Treatment—and Frustration
While getting a diagnosis brought some relief, Spurgin’s journey to find an effective treatment was anything but smooth. Her first therapy was UVB light treatment three times a week. “My first course wasn’t as effective as we’d hoped,” she says. “It did improve my skin, but didn’t clear my psoriasis completely.”
Next came bathwater PUVA—a form of phototherapy that uses psoralen to sensitize the skin before UVA exposure. “This involved soaking in a psoralen solution for 15 minutes, followed by exposure to UVA radiation in a lightbox,” she explains. It worked—for a while. But once the treatment ended, her psoriasis came back.
Her next step was trying an oral calcineurin inhibitor, which works by suppressing the immune system. “After a few weeks of taking the tablets, I started experiencing severe side effects and my doctor told me to stop immediately,” she says. “This led to the worst psoriasis flare-up I’d ever had.”
Now 28, Spurgin is no longer pursuing prescription treatment in her psoriasis care regimen. “After going through various treatments, I realized I was actually happier when I wasn’t trying to ‘get rid of’ my psoriasis,” she says. “Every time I tried a different treatment, I was really hopeful that it would work, and when it didn’t, I ended up so disappointed and [feeling] even lower than I was before.” (While some two-thirds of guttate psoriasis cases may clear up on their own within three to four months, others can become persistent, requiring treatment to resolve.)
She adds that she was able to get used to seeing psoriasis on her body every day, but the cycle of trying and failing was a constant emotional setback. “It was just a reminder that my psoriasis might never go away.”
Sharing Her Story, Using Her Voice
In time, Spurgin reached a powerful realization: For her, the best path to well-being was self-acceptance. “As I have grown older, I am less concerned about what people think of me,” she says. “I am aware that people still look and also that many don’t even know what psoriasis is, but I feel like I can ignore them a lot easier now than I could nine years ago.”
Spurgin now uses social media to raise awareness and empower others. Her Instagram and TikTok accounts are filled with skin-positive posts that have collectively earned more than 2.4 million likes.
“The first photo I posted of my psoriasis was on my personal Instagram account, tagging my psoriasis account,” she recalls. “That was a huge step for me—I’d been so embarrassed about my skin I’d even hidden it from some of my friends. But I was so fed up with people in public asking, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ that I just wanted to raise awareness. I figured then maybe less people would ask me about it!”
To her surprise, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive. “I did get negative comments from strangers, but somehow I was able to ignore them by telling myself they were just bullies hiding behind a screen,” she says. “I focused on the many positive comments and kind messages from fellow psoriasis warriors. It’s been life-changing for me to connect online with others who understand what life with psoriasis is like.”
What Helps Her Keep Going
Living with psoriasis isn’t easy. “Currently, the main challenge is the pain,” says Spurgin. “Without treatment, I just have to deal with it. In winter, my skin can be so itchy and sore, and it often cracks too. When my psoriasis flares on my face and neck, it does affect my mood.”
Still, even on the hard days, she recognizes how far she’s come. “It took me years to accept my skin and to not be petrified to wear a bikini at the beach,” she says. “Today, I’m proud to show my body. It’s estimated that 2% to 3% of the world’s population has psoriasis, and I want to be part of the movement to educate and change public perception.”
Her daily skincare must? Moisturizing… “every day, without fail!” And her support system of doctors, family and especially friends plays a huge role, too. “My friends don’t care about my psoriasis. They encourage me to wear what I want and remind me to ignore any negative comments,” she says.
For anyone newly diagnosed or still struggling to come to terms with their psoriasis, Spurgin offers this advice: “Be patient with yourself. Over time, I got used to my reflection in the mirror. It’s still me—it’s just a new me.”
She also encourages saying yes to new experiences. “I went traveling a few years ago, and that opened my mind. It made me realize that the world is huge and there’s so much more to focus on beyond worrying about what others may think of us.”
https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/psoriasis/journey-to-self-acceptance-with-psoriasis
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