I Have a Skin Condition but Am I Being Represented?
- Jade Kidd
- Jan 17, 2019
- 4 min read
Skin conditions can be debilitating, whether your five or 95-years-old. They can knock your confidence, leave you feeling insecure and in some cases unable to leave your house. In October 2018, after spending months constantly itching my scalp, dealing with flaky skin, covering up red patches on my face and witnessing my hair thinning before my eyes, I had enough and went to the doctors. It’s seborrheic dermatitis, she told me. Instantly, I was in a state of worry and panic. Will it ever go away? Is my hair going to grow back? Will these horrible red patches clear up? I knew nothing and I needed answers.
She explained that while seborrheic dermatitis is an extremely common skin condition and, in all likelihood can be treated, it is recurring and as of now CANNOT BE CURED. Ugh! Well, that was the first strike. But what about my thin hair? Well, she said with the appropriate treatment, it should start growing back on its own – and with that, she wrote me a prescription brimming with medicated shampoos and anti-fungal creams and sent me on my way.
Now I know what you are all dying to know, has this so-called treatment actually worked? Well, since October I have been tirelessly lathering my hair with Dandrazol shampoo and Betacap hair treatment; coating my face with Daktarin anti-fungal cream – but unfortunately, it hasn’t produced the supposed miracle I was expecting. It has somewhat stopped the itching and flaky skin and the red patches have subsided – but as for my hair, it’s still thin. I’ll admit there are days where it does affect my confidence and I feel like my efforts are going to waste, but as always I’m optimistic that it will get better.
Nevertheless, going through this process and having to deal with the trials and tribulations of a skin condition has got me thinking – if skin conditions were not such a taboo subject and there was more representation (e.g. more models and celebrities showcasing skin disorders) would it make someone like me feel more confident and able to embrace my situation?
Types of Skin Conditions
According to the Healthline website, the most common skin conditions include:
Acne – This condition can cause breakouts consisting of whiteheads, blackheads, pimples and cysts on the face, neck, chest, shoulders and back.
Rosacea – A chronic condition that causes facial flushing, facial redness, dry skin and raised red bumps. It has the ability to fade then relapse.
Eczema – This is usually itchy, red, and greasy and can cause yellow or white scaly patches. In some cases, hair loss in the affected area can occur.
Psoriasis – An autoimmune disease commonly situated on the elbows, knees, scalp and back. This condition causes scaly and silvery patches that can become itchy.
Lupus – This is an autoimmune disease which attacks the body and damages healthy tissues and organs. It can cause scaly disc-shaped rashes, scaly red patches located on the shoulders, neck, forearms and upper torso and a red rash that spreads across the cheeks and nose like butterfly wings.
Dermatitis – The condition can cause yellow or white scaly patches which are itchy, red and greasy. In some cases, hair loss may occur.
Vitiligo – Causes a loss of pigmentation in the skin due to autoimmune destruction of cells that produce colour. Skin can lose colour in small areas and merge together or depigmentation can occur on one side of the body.
Melasma – A common condition which causes dark patches to appear mainly on the face and sometimes on the arms, neck and chest. Often occurs in pregnant women and people with darker skin colour or heavy exposure to the sun.
Representation Within the Fashion Industry
While the fashion industry claims to have come leaps and bounds, we all know the ideal ‘picture-perfect’ look is still what is preferred. Realistically, there is never any room for imperfections. On the off-chance, they will show support to plus-size models, but only to keep people happy. But what about everybody else? There are millions of people around the world who like me have skin conditions - yet so few either work, are allowed to, or have the courage to showcase their skin condition within the modelling/fashion industry.
One of the ONLY very prominent models with a skin condition is Winne Harlow. The 24-year-old, who rose to fame on America’s Next Top Model suffers from Vitiligo and is a public spokesperson, raising awareness of the condition. But why is she the only one? It’s almost like the industry feel they have done their job because they have ONE prominent model with a skin condition! Because suddenly that means everyone can feel represented. NO!
Also, what about this obsession fashion has with make-up and covering everything up that doesn’t fit. For years, models on catwalks and in newspapers and magazines around the world have had their freckles covered, acne smoothed, and scars removed. It was only last week that 23-year-old model Kendall Jenner shared her struggles with acne in a make-up free post on Instagram. Think of how many people this one revelation has helped. How many people suffering from acne are now more confident in themselves and able to embrace their situation?
It’s unfortunate that there are not any models held to the same regard as Winne Harlow who have conditions like Eczema, Dermatitis, Lupus or Psoriasis. If we as a society are trying to promote and celebrate body positivity, wouldn’t it be better to have a plethora of figures who represent everyone? Who breakdown the taboo of skin conditions? In that sense, we are then not only accepting our differences as normal in wider society, but we are also ACCEPTING OURSELVES at the same time.
Comments