'Psoriasis made me feel like a human leopard'

A psoriasis sufferer has described how the condition made her feel "like a human leopard".

Psoriasis is an auto-immune condition affecting more than 125 million people worldwide. It causes skin to rapidly replace itself within days rather than the usual three to four weeks and the impact can be devastating.

Giorgia Lanuzza, 34, from Basingstoke, has been living with the condition for two decades and said she has turned her struggle into a story of self-acceptance.

The 34-year-old mum of two said it began when her father died when she was aged 13.

"He was in an accident - a motorcycle accident - and the grief just showed itself all over my body," she said.

"The skin cells build up and it can cause red dots, sometimes flaky. There are many different causes. I think mine is through stress.

"The weeks went on and the patches just spread, the dots gathered all over my body and soon I was just like a human leopard walking around. It was bizarre."

Ms Lanuzza said she suffered in silence, avoided school and kept her skin covered up.

"I was hiding this sadness and this psoriasis that was going on," she said.

"I did the only thing I knew really at the time, which was to joke and to make fun of myself before anyone else had the chance."

A trip to Thailand in 2015 became a turning point, she told the BBC, when she got a throat infection and her psoriasis "just blew up".

"The doctors said I was 97% covered - I had to take photos, I knew I needed to share these with the world," she said.

When Ms Lanuzza posted the photos on social media, she said the response was "insane", and added: "It really just still fills my heart now."

After learning to "embrace" her skin, she has written an autobiographical book, titled Different Skin, that she said was "partly self-help".

"It's like a badge of honour, my psoriasis," she explained. "It really is just my strength now. It reminds me so much of my dad.

"Even with the severe cases of psoriasis that I've had, [my dad's] been the one on my shoulder saying 'Giorgia, show the world and you can do it'.

"I love my skin so much, it's a beautiful part of me. To see my daughter touching my skin and fascinated by it, just embracing me and learning that it's fantastic to be different - and in fact 'my mummy's an author' - she's really proud.

"I didn't feel alone anymore. This is so right. This path that I've taken, that my dad put me on, it's the right path for me.

"I have to keep my psoriasis, love it, love myself, and I'm going to teach the world how to do that as well."

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