February 13, 2022 5 min read
Love and psoriasis often seem at odds with each other. If you have, or know someone with psoriasis, you may also understand that it is not only chronic but disfiguring and highly stigmatised by society. It is therefore unsurprising that many struggle to love themselves and build romantic relationships.
This Valentine’s Day, we share the heart-warming story of Todd Bello, founder of Overcoming Psoriasis and his partner of 2 years, Kim. Having met online, they discuss how Todd’s psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis affects their relationship, and how a problem-solving attitude, compassion and empathy help them work through life’s challenges as a team.
Self-love and psoriasis
Todd: Absolutely. Psoriasis has impacted my self-esteem and played into every aspect of my life. This included my relationships… I was always self-conscious.
Todd: Now because of the medications and the steps I am taking to keep my psoriasis at bay, I feel pretty confident in myself. I do still feel self-conscious when it flares, but I’m thankful that it’s under control. Psoriasis is a chronic disease so we’re never going to be 100% without fear of a flare.
Todd: Everyone’s worthy of love, right? You have to love yourself in order to find love in a relationship. Put yourself first, get that quality care, and try and get the psoriasis under control so you can get onto finding the love of your life.
Romantic relationships and psoriasis
Dating and psoriasis