Actress Ciena Rae Nelson with severe psoriasis posts a powerful make-up free photo

tunisante May 23, 2016 Health

Actress and model Ciena Rae Nelson shared two snaps on Instagram
She increased saturation in one to highlight the red patches on her skin
Instagram users praised Ciena for sharing the ‘inspiring’ snaps

Emily Chan For Mailonline

Published:
09:11 EST, 23 May 2016

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Updated:
09:19 EST, 23 May 2016

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A woman who suffers from a severe skin condition has shared a brave photograph showing herself without make-up.

Actress and model Ciena Rae Nelson, from Los Angeles, shared two snaps on Instagram showing how she covers up the red patches caused by psoriasis and what her skin looks like when she goes barefaced.

She increased the saturation on the photograph on the right to highlight the effect that psoriasis can have.

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Actress and model Ciena Rae Nelson, who suffers from the skin condition psoriasis, shared two snaps on Instagram showing what she looks like with make-up on and what she looks like without

She changed the saturation on the photograph on the right to highlight the effect of psoriasis, adding that most people looked at the left in person and didn’t notice much but dry spots here and there

The autoimmune disease causes painful and intensely itchy raised patches to appear on the skin, and can occur all over the body.

Beside the two photographs, Ciena, who describes herself as a ‘psoriasis warrior’, wrote: ‘What it looks like on the left after I’ve covered it up with make up VS. what it feels like on the right.

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‘Everything in both pictures is what was really there, the only difference is that on the right I’ve upped the saturation and structure.

‘Most people looked at the left in person and didn’t notice much but dry spots here and there, not noticing what was really underneath.’

Ciena has previously posted other photographs of herself explaining the extent of her skin condition and the anxiety it can cause

She said the condition can often be an ‘invisible illness’, adding that ‘not everything is as bad as it looks’ but ‘sometimes things are actually much worse’.

Psoriasis can cause fatigue, while some sufferers can also get psoriasis arthritis, which affects the joints.

Instagram users praised Ciena for sharing the ‘inspiring’ snaps and raising awareness about the condition.

Anna wrote: ‘You’re so inspiring. You make realize that no one is perfect, that everyone beautiful inside and out.’

She uploaded a heavily edited picture of herself wearing a bikini next to a photograph of how her skin looked during her most severe psoriasis outbreak, which covered 80 per cent of her body

Another added: ‘Thank you for sharing and bringing awareness to psoriasis! I’ve been suffering for a few years with it and people tend to brush off the disease like it’s not a big deal’.

Ciena has previously posted other photographs of herself explaining the extent of her skin condition and the anxiety it can cause.

‘Skin conditions are not cosmetic issues,’ she wrote. ‘They cause physical pain and suffering and oftentimes a feeling of being trapped in your own body, on top of the social anxiety many people face because of them.

‘I personally struggle with sleep deprivation due to constant, widespread itchiness that feels more like I’m being stung or bitten then I am “itchy.”

She wrote: ‘Not everything is as it seems. Often people “silently” struggle. Be nice to yourselves and to others. Our bodies do amazing things day in and day out’

‘Sometimes it’s completely unbearable and I have to go to a calm place in my mind to meditate and breathe until it lessens, but it never fully goes away.’

Two further photographs posted by Ciena also reveal the ‘silent struggle’ that people with psoriasis can face.

She uploaded a heavily edited picture of herself wearing a bikini next to a photograph of how her skin looked during her most severe psoriasis outbreak, which covered 80 per cent of her body.

‘The left is me on a good day with just the right lighting, at just the right angle, filtered, edited and carefully covered up,’ she wrote.’

‘The right is definitely closer to my reality although thankfully no where near as severe on a daily basis.

‘Not everything is as it seems. Often people “silently” struggle. Be nice to yourselves and to others. Our bodies do amazing things day in and day out..treat them as such.’

PSORIASIS – THE INCURABLE SKIN CONDITION THAT WRECKS CONFIDENCE

Psoriasis (file picture) develops when the body’s immune system starts to attack healthy skin cells

Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes red, flaky, crusty patches of skin covered with silvery scales.

The patches normally appear on your elbows, knees, scalp and lower back but can appear anywhere on the body.

Around two per cent of the UK population, 1.8million people, are affected by the condition, which can start at any age.

For most, psoriasis develops before the age of 35 and the condition affects men and women equally.

The severity of the condition varies from person to person, for some causing a minor irritation, while for others it has a major impact on their quality of life.

Psoriasis is a long-lasting, or chronic, condition that involves periods when a sufferer will have no symptoms or mild symptoms, followed by more severe outbreaks.

The condition occurs when the process by which the body produces skin cells is accelerated.

Normally the cells are replaced by the body every three to four months, but in psoriasis the process only lasts about three to seven days.

The resulting build-up of skin cells creates the patches associated with psoriasis.

While the condition is not fully understood, it is thought the increased production of skin cells is related to a problem with a person’s immune system.

For those suffering with the condition, their immune system attacks healthy skin cells by mistake.

Psoriasis can run in families and there is thought to be a genetic element to the condition.

Many sufferers will experience symptoms following a certain event, a trigger. A trigger can include injury to a person’s skin, throat infections and using certain medications.

The condition is not contagious, so cannot be spread from person to person.

While there is no cure, a range of treatments can be used to improve symptoms and the appearance of the affected skin patches.

In most cases, a sufferer will be prescribed creams and ointments to ease the symptoms.

If these prove ineffective, doctors may opt for phototherapy treatment. It involves exposing the skin to certain types of ultraviolet light.

In the most severe cases, treatments such as oral or injected medicines that work throughout the body are used.

Source: NHS Choices