Psoriasis model I’M PROUD OF MY SPOTS!
Giorgia tells why she won’ t hide herself away
Ever since she was 13, psoriasis sufferer Giorgia Lanuzza has been covered in patches of red, itchy blisters, rashes and scabs. But after years of letting it ruin her life, she’s decided she won’t allow the painful condition to prevent her from pursuing her modelling dreams.
Giorgia, 25, from England, insists, “My body might be 97% psoriasis, but I’m still beautiful.”
Her pride is a far cry from when she was a teen. Back then, she struggled to accept her “ugly skin”, covering up in long-sleeved shirts and leggings after schoolmates refused to touch her because they wrongly feared her complaint was contagious.
Early last year, Giorgia even had to cut short a dream trip
to Thailand because she could only go out in the sun for 10 minutes a day and the heat made her psoriasis so painful, she couldn’t sleep. However, the horror holiday marked a turning point. On her return to the UK, Giorgia decided it was time to embrace her body – including the welts that cover it.
Now Giorgia, who works in marketing, is pursuing a career in modelling. “For years, my psoriasis made me feel so ashamed,” she explains, “but now I look at it with a positive mindset. Finally I’ve come to terms with my skin and have realised that I am beautiful. Now I have that confidence, I want to help boost others with skin abnormalities. We should all be proud of our bodies, no matter what people think.”
Georgia first developed psoriasis at 13, when her beloved father Giuseppe died. The condition is often triggered by trauma. She says, “We were so close and I couldn’t bear losing him. Grieving was difficult enough. Then when these flaky patches started appearing on my skin, I had no idea what was happening.”
The rash started on her arms and scalp but soon spread across her entire body. “Giant patches of my skin were red and unsightly – I felt like a freak compared to other girls my age and did everything I could to cover up.”
At 21, Giorgia got into her first relationship. She says, “It was great to be with someone who told me I was attractive. He would call me ‘sexy leopard’ to make me feel better about the red spots.”
Now she hopes to follow in the footsteps of US model Winnie Harlow, who has a booming career despite having vitiligo, meaning patches of her skin have no pigment. Giorgia says, “We have conditions that make us look different, but we’re still beautiful. Anything I can do to stop other girls feeling self-conscious will be a positive. I know my dad would be so proud of me.”