TV host and fashion journalist Louise Roe launches the INSIDE PERSPECTIVE campaign with Celgene Corporation and Otezla® (apremilast), and for the first time, shares her inside story with psoriasis, a condition she has been living with for more than a decade. Louise knows that outward appearances can be deceiving, which is why going beneath the surface can give you an entirely new perspective. As part of the campaign, she hopes to raise awareness about psoriasis, which appears on the surface of the skin but actually starts inside the body, and highlight the importance of tackling treatment from within.
Like many of the estimated 7.5 million people in the United States living with psoriasis—an autoimmune disease that appears on the skin as raised, red, itchy patches but starts inside the body—Roe initially hid her struggle with the condition.
Fresh off her reporting duties from this season’s fashion weeks, the founder of the popular fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog Front Roe wants to share her story to help others living with the condition. While working at a fashion magazine in London at the age of 25, Roe was diagnosed with plaque psoriasis, and it wasn’t always easy being confident in an industry where outward appearance plays a central role. After working with her doctor and educating herself more on the disease and ways to manage it, she decided to stop letting her condition dictate her life and confidence, and instead, embraced who she was beyond her psoriasis. She continued to work towards her goals and built a successful fashion career as a journalist, TV host, author and blogger. Now, she wants to inspire others to do the same.
Through the INSIDE PERSPECTIVE campaign, Roe had the opportunity to swap worlds for a day with one of her very own fans who lives with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and takes Otezla. Their experiences are chronicled in an inspiring video where they share their inside perspectives and heartfelt insights from each other’s lives, as well as the importance of looking beneath the surface and embracing who they are both inside and out. The full story can be viewed at www.PsOPerspective.com.
“I noticed when I would get stressed, I would develop red patches on my legs and stomach. I found myself planning my wardrobe at red carpet events to hide my plaques, and when my symptoms were so bad that I couldn’t hide them – both physically and emotionally – I would end up canceling personal and work plans,” said Roe. “It wasn’t until I worked with my dermatologist to develop a treatment plan to help me manage my symptoms, that I learned focusing on the outside isn’t enough. By sharing my story through this campaign, I hope to encourage others to better understand their condition from within and feel more confident in their skin, too.”
“The patients I see who suffer from plaque psoriasis symptoms experience a significant impact on their daily lives,” said Gary Goldenberg, MD, New York City based dermatologist and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. “Symptoms such as flaking and scaling appear on the surface of the skin, so many people are not aware that psoriasis is actually an autoimmune disease that begins to develop beneath the skin’s surface. One option that treats moderate to severe plaque psoriasis differently and from within is Otezla®. Otezla is a pill – not an injection, not a cream, and not a biologic – that can help some people achieve up to 75% clearer skin after four months. I recommend that all people with psoriasis speak with their dermatologist to find a treatment plan that works for them.”
Otezla is a prescription medicine approved for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis for whom phototherapy or systemic therapy is appropriate. Please see Important Safety Information for Otezla below.
“At Celgene, we are committed to providing support to the psoriasis community, not only through our medicines, but through programs like the INSIDE PERSPECTIVE campaign to help them to better understand and manage their disease,” said Terrie Curran, President, Global Inflammation and Immunology, Celgene. “We are proud to collaborate with Louise Roe for these efforts to help raise awareness of the nature of this chronic condition.”
To learn more about the INSIDE PERSPECTIVE campaign, psoriasis, and Louise’s personal story visit www.PsOPerspective.com.
