10 Diseases That Could Affect A Woman’s Appearance
“I’m not pretty cause of what I look like.
I’m pretty cause of who I am”
We all remember the Oscars this 2022, don’t we? We mean, who doesn’t? An exhilarating night like always, this time there was another reason why it left an indelible mark on our memory. The Will Smith-Chris Rock slapping incident drew headlines for all the right and wrong reasons.
Do you remember the reason why he slapped him though? Of course, you do… Will’s wife Jada was ‘jokingly’ compared to ‘G.I. Jane’ for her baldness while in fact she hasn’t adopted the hairstyle for fun. It’s the hairstyle that adopted her when she lost buck loads of it as she contracted a disease called Alopecia.
So, while the audience let out a mild chuckle when Chris said “Can’t wait to see G.I. Jane, Jada,” the comment felt like an unsolicited poke to a woman who had lost her crowning glory indefensibly to an autoimmune disorder.
Hold on… we forgot to ask. Does it ring a bell? Does the snickering sound familiar? Have you ever been subject to a remark that called you oh-so-fat, oh-so-pimpled or oh-so-dark and you didn’t know which way to look because you did absolutely nothing to land up there?!
Well, tell you what… you, us and Jada aren’t the only ones who have suffered in silence of these appearance-changing disorders. There are more and some of them would surprise you with the glow of their inner power and strength overbearing their physical beauty. Read on, this is a powerful list.
Rosacea — Renee Zellweger Dermatosis Papulosa Nigra — Condoleezza Rice Hashimoto’s disease — Gigi Hadid
- Kim Kardashian has Psoriasis
A chronic, proliferative, inflammatory, and non-contagious skin disorder with no cure. Yes, that’s what psoriasis is. It is believed to be an immune system malfunctioning effect, where the skin is caused to regenerate at a faster rate.
Smoking, hormonal exposure, physical trauma, obesity, depression, anxiety, alcohol consumption, simply anything that most of us are living with could trigger the disease.
When Kim Kardashian realized she has it, she didn’t hold it to herself. Instead, she came out telling her fans what she goes through every day, what she covers up each time she steps out, what is the un-pretty part of her that you don’t know as she said “Sometimes I cover it up and sometimes I don’t. It doesn’t really bother me.”
2. Jada has Alopecia Areata
Alopecia is regarded as hair loss without scales, erythema, or scars. What can trigger it? Stress. The body’s immune system attacks the hair follicles causing it to fall out from the roots creating undelightful patches that can prompt a person to instead shave off their entire head. Exactly what Jada Pinkett Smith did.
Although the disease is self-limiting, the immunity can be inhibited locally by using intra-lesion of steroids or topical steroids, which can aid in accelerating the healing process.
Which is why when Jada realized she has it, she didn’t let her struggle with hair loss stop her from living her best life and proclaimed, “Mama’s gonna have to take it down to the scalp so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something. Me and this alopecia are going to be friends…period!”
3. Selena Gomez has Lupus
An inflammatory disease where a person’s immune system attacks the tissues of its own body, Lupus could leave a butterfly rash or small sores and ulcers inside the nose or mouth.
But one can’t do much. There is no cure for lupus. Cleaner habits, regular sun protection and anti-inflammatory treatments could perhaps ease the pain.
And when the most followed person on Instagram gets it, she doesn’t back down from telling her fans how debilitating the disease is and yet how powerless it became in front of her inner strength. Selena Gomez spread out her wish like this after a kidney transplant — “I’d like to see the day when all young women can realize their dreams of a life without lupus.”
4. Victoria Beckham has Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder which causes the ovaries to enlarge and small cysts to form on their outer edges. The exact cause of PCOS isn’t yet known, however, the amalgamation of genetic factors and lifestyle may contribute to it in a female body.
And absolutely any female it could be. Even someone as poised and posh as Victoria Beckham a.k.a POSH SPICE. Absent, prolonged, or irregular menstrual cycles, may require a consistent treatment of oral contraceptive pills that could keep the hormones in check.
Victoria’s aggressive approach to keeping herself fit is perhaps also a defense mechanism against a disease that almost made her infertile at a point enough to say to those extra concerned, “No baby yet, but it’ll happen soon!”
5. Polymorphous light eruption (PMLE)
Often regarded as the “sun allergy”, PMLE refers to the skin’s sensitivity to the UV rays of the sun, resulting in itchy rashes, patches, redness, and inflammation.
While medicated lotions and skin treatments could lend relief, the beautiful Samantha Ruth Prabhu brushed off unnecessary comments that came her way while she recovered from a two-month enforced break saying, “I love my glowy skin although I sometimes get asked if I need a tissue to wipe the sweat of my face.”
6. Yami Gautam has Keratosis Pilaris
Ever heard of a disease that has a catchy nickname? Keratosis Pilaris sure received that privilege as it got called “Chicken skin.” The keratin (protein) buildup in the openings of hair follicles, causes patches of rough, and bumpy skin and low skin moisture typically tends to worsen it.
There is no cure for the condition, however, moisturizing lotions and creams may help gain relief. Ironically then, the queen of skin screams, Yami Gautam revealed she suffers from it with a line that all of us could instantly relate to: “I promise they aren’t as bad as your mind and your neighbor aunty makes it out to be.”
7. Dua Lipa has Acne
Commonly known as pimples, acne refers to the skin condition in which oil or dead skin cells clog up the hair follicles under the skin. They usually appear on the face, neck, shoulders, chest, and back. Looking seemingly harmless, acne could leave scars on the body that could stay for a while.
Good hygiene, avoiding sun exposure, medicated creams and lotions could help one live with it but a little bit of a slip-up could lead to a morning surprise that few could brush off like Dua Lipa did — “Nothing like a spot to remind me how fun last night was.”
8. Renee Zellweger has Rosacea
A chronic and inflammatory disease that affects the skin around the face, rosacea is most common amongst middle-aged women with fair skin.
It can be caused due to various hereditary and environmental factors and sometime even due to sunlight, spicy food, alcohol, menopause, stress, drugs, or steroid creams being used on the face.
Of course, medicated creams and lotions do help with the symptoms, but inspirational queens like Renee Zellweger who suffer from it tend to brush it off with a, “I’d rather be a healthy, productive woman in each stage of my life than apologetic.”
9. Condoleezza Rice has Dermatosis Papulosa Nigra (DPN)
Blue or black colored circular outgrowths often found on the face, and neck region of the body are called symptoms of Dermatosis Papulosa Nigra (DPN), typically seen in individuals with a family history of the disease.
Sun exposure and dark-skinned people who use skin-lightening creams tend to have a greater number of DPNs.
Using a sunscreen could help prevent the ailment and these bumps can even be removed surgically. But when someone has thoughts of this kind — “I would like Black kids to be completely empowered to know they are beautiful in their Blackness, but in order to do that, I don’t have to make white kids feel bad for being white” …. Well Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is definitely not your average woman who’d spare a bother for that.
10. Hashimoto’s disease
Also known as “chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis”, Hashimoto’s disease is a condition in which the immune system of a body affects the thyroid gland in the neck. But this one affects much more than the skin.
Extreme fatigue, metabolism drops, water retention, inflammation, Hashimoto’s disease is an image-conscious woman’s nightmare. But what if a supermodel had it and flaunted her fight to beat it like a boss?! Yes, Gigi Hadid fought not just her disorder but even her detractors by saying, “For those of you so determined to come up why my body has changed over the years, you may not know that when I started @ 17 I was not yet diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease.”
In a world full of scientific and technological advancements, where a pig’s heart gets infused into a human’s body, we find the struggle to become perfectly flawless a tad pretentious. What is ultimately a beautiful woman if her Instagram pics are heavily filtered and her physical presence is masked with makeup?
The increasing standards of beauty and perfection are becoming more and more disgusting by the day prompting some of the most well-followed celebrities come out in support of the real self and promote the need to shine from within. The products and tech available to each one of us today can be overused and abused to give us the perfectly chiseled look. But what use would that artificial appearance be, if your mind believes that you otherwise are too ugly to step out with your real self?
It is difficult for us to prod others or perhaps even go to the extremes of slapping someone to ensure they don’t ridicule us or our loved ones for their appearance issues. But maybe it would be easier if you let your sense of self be stronger than the passing comments of the world at large and just let it be comfortable in its own skin!
I don’t like myself
I am crazy about myself
Mae West
You are reading a Dais Editorial 2022 ©
