I have severe psoriasis — it took me years to wear a bikini

Psoriasis sufferers shouldn’t have to do so in silence.

A woman with a widespread rash due to the skin condition is stripping down to show what it’s really like to live with an acute case of the skin disease.

Claire Spurgin, 25, was first diagnosed with psoriasis six years ago, and scaly red “plaques” have covered her entire body ever since.

The blonde Brit told the Daily Star that she was initially “petrified” to expose her body, worried about what gawkers would think.

Now, a self-confident Spurgin has started an Instagram account with her unfiltered snaps raising awareness as to just how severe psoriasis can be.

“This is an accurate picture of what it’s like living with psoriasis,” Sprugin wrote beneath a snap of her back and behind, posted last week.

“I’ve accidentally scratched my back and have a plaster on my wrist from where it wouldn’t stop bleeding,” she added. “This picture is from last week when i was trailing if stopping moisturizing would help my skin and I can confirm… it’s essential to moisturize your body everyday!”

The candid post garnered more than 3,000 likes, with many people praising Spurgin for bravely showing off her entire body.

“You’re beautiful, thank you for giving people strength,” one admirer cooed.

“I hope you remind yourself everyday, that you’re a big inspiration to many and that you are so beautiful,” another chimed in.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, psoriasis is a common skin condition that affects around 7.5 million people across the country — although most cases are more mild than Spurgin’s.

The Mayo Clinic reports that the psoriasis has “no known cure,” but that it “it tends to go through cycles, flaring for a few weeks or months, then subsiding for a while.”

The organization states that what causes psoriasis “isn’t fully understood,” but is thought to be an autoimmune disorder, which occurs when immune cells attack healthy tissue instead. Researchers believe that both genetics and environmental factors play a role in flare-ups of the skin condition.

Spurgin told the Daily Star that she started to develop psoriasis after getting sunburned during the summer of 2016.

“I had sunburn on my shoulders and that was the trigger of my psoriasis, the sunburn never healed, my shoulders just got a lot dryer and then I had the other dots that appeared on my body,” she recalled. “Then it kept spreading and spreading.”

“You could have the psoriasis gene in your body, but you might not have psoriasis until it’s triggered,” Spurgin stated.

Spurgin told the publication that she was initially “self-conscious” about the disease. “It’s taken me years to accept my skin and to not be petrified to wear a bikini at the beach,” she confessed.

However, after making her Instagram account, the advocate boldly declared that she felt like she “wasn’t hiding anymore.”

“There is no cure for psoriasis,” she stated. “But the best self cure is acceptance.”