Kim Kardashian is opening up about her painful struggle with psoriasis like never before.
In a new post on sister Kourtney Kardashian’s lifestyle website, Poosh, Kim, 38, recalled how she experienced her first flare-up of the autoimmune disease, which causes itchy and painful patches of skin, when she was 25. “I got a common cold, and since psoriasis is an autoimmune condition, this triggered it,” the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star explained, noting that mom Kris Jenner also has the condition. “It was all over my stomach and legs.”
Kim went on to note that after getting a cortisone shot from a dermatologist neighbor, her psoriasis “completely went away for about five years.” Her journey with the illness, however, was far from over.
The Selfish author’s psoriasis flared up again when she was in her early thirties and preparing to open a DASH store in New York City. The second bout, Kim recalled, was triggered by a “glitzy sequin dress.”
The KKW Beauty founder noted that although her psoriasis went away during both of her pregnancies, it “got extremely bad” earlier this year. As the E! personality put it: “It covered my whole face and a majority of my entire body.”
The California native’s latest flare-up, which occurred in late March days before she, Kourtney and Khloé Kardashian appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in Las Vegas, was so painful that the star was physically unable to pick up her phone or toothbrush. Of the Kimmel appearance she declared: “I was so uncomfortable the whole time because my hands were in so much pain. I felt miserable.”
Days later, the sunglasses designer, whose health struggles are being addressed on the current season of KUWTK, received a formal diagnosis. “I had psoriatic arthritis. It’s similar to arthritis that can stem from psoriasis and it can come and go,” she wrote. “It’s still painful and scary, but I was happy to have a diagnosis.”
Before the arthritis hit, Kim wrote that she spent months experimenting with a variety of “natural” remedies. “I even tried an herbal tea that tasted like tar,” she noted. “I tried celery juice for eight weeks. Then I’d do celery juice mixed with the tea. I would do that twice a day.”
Despite also switching to a plant-based diet, which she still follows, an “exhausted” Kim had yet another flare-up that left her unable to clothe herself. “I couldn’t get my pants down to go to the bathroom,” she wrote. “I couldn’t even get my bra on that day, and I had to have someone dress me because the pain was so unbearable.”
Now, the star is “extremely comfortable” with her psoriasis, which she is currently keeping at bay with help from a mostly vegan eating regimen. “I live a healthy life and try to eat as plant-based as possible and drink sea moss smoothies,” she declared. “With all the stress in life, I try to make sure I take time for myself so that I am centered and keep my stress to a minimum.”
By sharing her personal struggle, the Kourtney and Kim Take New York alum wishes to help others. She concluded, “I hope my story can help anyone else with an autoimmune disease feel confident that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
