Kim Kardashian is one of the nearly eight million Americans battling psoriasis, per the National Psoriasis Foundation’s 2022 reports. The chronic skin condition causes a buildup of skin cells that form scales and itchy, dry patches, and it’s one of the most common skin disorders, alongside eczema and rosacea. To raise awareness and offer a glimpse into her journey, the 43-year-old reality star recently appeared on the SheMD podcast to discuss when she first noticed symptoms, what the condition looks like for her, and the stress it caused her leading up to the 2022 Met Gala.
When she experienced symptoms for the first time
“Mine came on when I turned 30 years old and I remember it so clearly because it was my nephew Mason’s birthday party—I think his first or second birthday. We were at my mom’s house and I was wearing a short skirt and I remember going out in New York and I wore this silver sequin dress and it was itchy and I thought it was just a rash from the dress because it came that night. Then I got home, saw my mom at the birthday party, and she looked at my legs and goes, ‘Oh my god, you have psoriasis.'”
Initially, Kardashian was in denial, but a dermatologist later confirmed it was psoriasis. She received a cortisone shot, and the symptoms went away for “a few years.” However, once it returned, “it never went away,” Kardashian said.
What her psoriasis experience is like
“Mine gets extremely bright red, a little raised,” she told the hosts. “Mine, thankfully, will stay non-itchy. Mine, I’ll be good, and then one day, I’ll have an itch attack and it’ll all start bleeding and I just can’t take it.”
How it almost impacted her Met Gala experience
“When I started to get a little bit desperate was when it started to cover my face, and there was a spot really close to my eye, and it would just burn a little bit,” said. “I remember I had the Met Ball coming up that week, and it was covering my face.”
Ahead of the Met Gala, she hadn’t experienced psoriasis on her face before and ultimately doesn’t know what caused it, but she didn’t rule out stress when asked by the hosts. “I think I manage my stress pretty well, so it’s shocking to me.”
While she admits she tried various techniques to lessen the appearance of the flare-up ahead of the Met Gala, she said she sometimes just lets it run its course. “Sometimes I get super insecure about it and I put body makeup on,” she said. “And sometimes I’m just like, I really don’t care.”
