Brooke’s decade-long psoriasis battle.
Ever feel like no one knows how annoying psoriasis is? Well we can bet our bottom dollar that Brooke does. The last decade of her life has been a constant cycle of annoying plaques and itchy skin.
Meet Brooke. An OG community member who helped us trial MASK during development (thanks again btw). Her psoriasis flares on her face, body and scalp. Oh my. Besides being a psoriasis warrior, she's also a special education teacher in Adelaide. You'll find her spending time with her cute golden retrievers, going to spin classes, or getting sucked into a juicy book.
It's been a whole decade since Brooke's first flare up, and they're still comin' in hot. At least now, Brooke has her triggers down pat.
It all started at 18 years old, when Brooke's first plaque formed on her lower back. She presumed it would go away, coz it just looked like a weird dry skin spot. But, it's never that simple for us sensitives, is it?
More spots started to appear, and her GP's biopsy was inconclusive. Finally, a dermatologist gave her the low down: she had psoriasis, just like her brother.
To say Brooke’s had a busy few years is a bloody understatement, and her psoriasis has acted accordingly (with angry plaques everywhere). She’s gotten married, moved, juggled full-time university and work, built a house, been through a pandemic, plus more. The stress has had a huge impact on her mental health.
“90% of my flare ups are stress related, so I find that my mental health, stress and psoriasis all go hand-in-hand.”
These three factors are a ‘vicious little cycle’, as said perfectly by Brooke herself. Arm plaques annoy her coz they’re itchy and irritated by fabric, but her scalp is the kicker. The constant flakiness really gets her down. Tbh, the only relief she’s ever had was a holiday to Bali — three days of pure bliss and humidity was the secret-sauce for some relief.
After years of struggling with her appearance, she finally has learnt to love her spots, and not let it get her down.
Some of Brooke’s biggest tips:
- Keep your routine simple.
- Don’t buy into all the skincare trends.
- Use CLEAN and COAT.
- No fragrance, whatsoever.
- Lather in MASK whenever needed.
But her main one? Surround yourself with like-minded people.
“It's always nice to meet people who go through the same stuff which is one of the reasons I truly love Yours Only.”
“Lastly, I think finding people online who represent whatever you're going through is amazing. I love seeing people on socials with psoriasis who are showing it off/accepting/embracing it. Whitney Simmons is one of those people for me; her psoriasis is exactly like mine and it's nice to see someone like me. Same with Bree who I got to meet on the Yours Only shoot - normalising it, even though it seems like a silly/vain thing, makes a big difference. “
Well, we’re chuffed. Take a looksie at when Brooke met Bree, a fellow psoriasis warrior, and Christine, a TSW + eczema mama. Bringing the community together is what we’re all about.
So grateful for Brooke and her flaky scalp for popping up in our DM’s. x
