‘It’s infant psoriasis.. she’s not contagious’
Parents hit back at rude strangers who accuse them of neglecting tot
A woman said, ‘Look at the state of your child’
THE parents of a toddler with a severe skin condition have told how she is shunned by strangers who make cruel remarks about her appearance.
Maisie Buchanan has psoriasis and when she’s having a flare-up, her skin turns bright red and scaly.
Her parents Lesley, 35, and Alistair Buchanan, 36, say some parents fear their children will catch something if they get too close.
Lesley added: “I’ve had people look at her and ask if she’s contagious and move their children away, with a look of disgust on her face.
“I want to get a megaphone and shout, ‘It’s infant psoriasis and she’s not contagious’.
“Maisie’s too young to understand but she sometimes looks at me if I’m upset about it and will hold my finger.”
Two-year-old Maisie started showing signs of psorisis at 16 weeks old and her body was covered in itchy red, scaly patches by the age of seven months.
She was diagnosed in February last year and spent six weeks in hospital. Maisie lost weight and endured terrible pain.
But thanks to strong medication and having her skin covered in cream four times a day, she’s doing much better.
She still has flare-ups, however, which attract attention. Lesley, from Falkirk, said: “Maisie’s skin is very flushed. It can go lobster red. People pick up on that and it’s very hurtful.
“They will ask me, ‘What’s wrong with her?’ like I’m a neglectful parent. I always respond, ‘There’s nothing wrong with her. She’s a happy sweet little girl with a skin condition’.
“Others have asked if I left her out in the sun too long or forgot to put her sun hat on.
“People assume she’s been scalded. It really hurts.
“My husband was with her in a supermarket when her face was very inflamed and a woman in her 60s said to him, ‘Look at the state of your child’. She implied that he couldn’t look after his child.”
Lesley added: “My daughter is perfect in every way, no matter how red and inflamed she is.”
LESLEY BUCHANAN ON CRUEL REMARKS