Mother Jerica Roach with an itchy skin condition forced to shave her head

October 18, 2016

Jerica Roach has suffered from psoriasis ever since she was 7 years old
Because she is currently breastfeeding, she is unable to take medication
As a result, the condition has began to spread across her entire body
She decided to cut off her locks to let everyone know why she was balding

Stephen Matthews For Mailonline

Published:
04:23 EST, 18 October 2016

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Updated:
05:06 EST, 18 October 2016

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A young woman has shaved her head after a horrific flaking skin condition has ravaged her scalp.

Jerica Roach, 24, has suffered from psoriasis on her head since she was seven years old but it has since spread across her body.

But because she is currently breastfeeding her newborn daughter, she is unable to take medication.

As a result, the condition has began to spread across the mother-of-one’s body and has badly affected her head.

Every time she itched her head, clumps of her hair fell out – leaving many to wonder why she was balding.

She decided to cut off her locks in a bid to raise awareness of the skin condition and has refused to allow it to take control of her life.

Jerica Roach, 24, has suffered from psoriasis on her head since she was seven years old but it has since spread across her body

She decided to cut off all of her hair in July after her head became so itchy her locks began to fall out in clumps

Ms Roach, from Toronto, said: ‘Currently my psoriasis is the worst it has ever been but I’m not going to allow it to control my life.

‘It gets really itchy and sometimes I have to fight the urge to scratch in public because a bunch of skin flakes will fall out.

‘I avoid going to people’s houses in fear that they will get mad at me or be really grossed out by my shedding skin.

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‘I make sure I still do things that I love, such as going swimming and to the beach, I know a lot of people tend to hide their skin but I think the fresh air feels good on it.

‘I met another person with psoriasis who wore long sleeves and trousers even when it was hot out, I feel like you need to embrace your skin rather than being frightened of what people think.’

Her condition began when she was just seven as she suffered from patches of dry skin.

But due to the condition causing her hair to fall out – she began to post pictures on social media to let everyone know why it looked like she was balding

She says she is often subjected to cruel questions by strangers who assume she’s contagious

Despite it mostly affecting her scalp – it also causes problems on her arms, chest, stomach, back and shins.

She claims she has to constantly vacuum her floors at home to hide her shedding skin and often avoids going to someone’s house out of fear.

Because she is currently breastfeeding her daughter Ixchel and is unable to take medication, it has caused the condition to spread across her body.

However she has found coconut oil, Vaseline and a vegetarian diet has helped her psoriasis from spiraling out of control.

But due to it causing her hair to fall out – she began to post pictures on social media to let everyone know why it looked like she was balding.

She is often subjected to cruel questions by strangers who assume she’s contagious.

She added: ‘People usually tend to ask things like “what’s wrong with your skin?” and “does it hurt?”

‘I was around a few kids at the park and one asked if she was going to get it and had a worried look on her face.’

But some people think of Ms Roach as an inspiration because she doesn’t let the condition rule her life.

Because she is currently breastfeeding her daughter Ixchel and is unable to take medication, it has caused the condition to spread across her body

She added: ‘People usually tend to ask things like “what’s wrong with your skin?” and “does it hurt?”‘

Ms Roach claims she has to constantly vacuum her floors at home to hide her shedding skin and often avoids going to someone’s house out of fear

She said: ‘It is however nice being told by other people that I help inspire them to be more confident.

‘I want people to be able to feel comfortable in their own skin, even if their skin is uncomfortable to be in.’

‘I want to teach Ixchel body positivity, and set an example that no one is perfect.

‘It keeps me positive when teaching my daughter to respect everyone regardless of how they look.

‘The online community have helped me loads with inspiration an encouragement from other psoriasis sufferers, there are some awesome people out there.’

Professor Chris Griffiths from the University of Manchester British Skin Foundation spokesperson said: ‘Psoriasis tends to come and go unpredictably and can appear at any age.

‘Psoriasis doesn’t scar the skin and appears as pink or red coloured areas on the skin with silvery-white scales, these are known as plaques.

‘Plaques of psoriasis usually appear on the knees, elbows, trunk and scalp but are not exclusive to these areas.

‘Some psoriasis sufferers are also affected in the nails or joints as well as the skin.

‘Flare ups can happen from a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental triggers such as streptococcal tonsillitis or pharyngitis, stress, alcohol and some medicines.’

PSORIASIS – THE INCURABLE SKIN CONDITION THAT CAN WRECK CONFIDENCE

Psoriasis (file picture) develops when the body’s immune system attacks 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.

It 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