It’s not easy being different.

Many of us take our skin for granted. It’s just skin, what difference does it make? But the skin is one of the most vital organs in the human body, and when something is outwardly different about it, people take notice. And when people take notice, you usually want them to stop.

Psoriasis probably doesn’t sound too horrible to someone who doesn’t have it. It’s just flaky skin, right? Yeah, in minor cases, it’s only flaky skin, hopefully in a spot no one can see. But growing up with psoriasis means having skin that requires constant maintenance and micromanagement across its entire surface, which can wear on you pretty badly. You need to comb flakes out of your hair, wear specific clothes, and use products that don’t irritate. Granted, flaky skin probably won’t kill you, but dying isn’t what someone growing up with psoriasis is concerned about; it’s the social connotations that loom over them. Everyone knows how cruel kids and teens can be; all they need is one little thing to hone in on, and suddenly your life becomes a lot harder. If you have to fuss over your skin a lot in public, you may gain a reputation as “the flaky kid.” The world loves pointlessly punishing people for being different.

When something that definitively differentiates you from your peers follows you your entire life, it takes a lot of time and effort to become comfortable with yourself. Remember, it doesn’t matter what other people say about you, not really. You can be proud of yourself, flakes or no flakes, and if other people can’t agree with that, it’s their loss.