Haruna Ai talks about her struggle with psoriasis

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In an interview with Nikkan Gendai, Haruna Ai discusses her struggle with psoriasis.

Haruna said, “Actually, from the end of March this year, I finally started to take expensive medicine that are not covered by my insurance and the skin troubles of psoriasis that I had been suffering from have dramatically decreased. You see, my elbows are smooth right? Not long ago, my elbows, knees, neck and back felt very rough and it was depressing. If you have an itchy eczema on your elbows, knees or other joints or scalp, you may have psoriasis, so look for a hospital that has a psoriasis-specialized dermatologist and go there”.

Haruna continued, “I’ve had urticaria since I was little and it was so terrible that my pajamas or futons could get bloody because of all the itching. My mother took me to hospitals here and there but all the prescribed ointments didn’t work. So, if I was bitten by a mosquito in the summer, I would be itching all over my body and it became difficult. Therefore, I had to wear long sleeves and long trousers even in midsummer. But when I went to the sea, the scratches were soaked in seawater and the itches disappeared, so I felt good and went to the sea a lot. However from the upper grades of elementary school, the itch gradually subsided and healed. When I think about it, I think I became obsessed with ‘I want to be a girl’ and my consciousness for feeling itchy disappeared”.

Haruna Ai said the uninsured drug she is taking, she has to take one in the morning and evening. Starting with a one month starter kit, she gradually got used to it and her rough skin improved. It’s very strong, so she felt sick when she took it three months in but she eliminated her problem with rough skin. One tablet costs about 1,000 yen. So, she plans to live life positively.

Haruna Ai made her debut by lip-synching to Matsuura Aya’s music in 2007. She is one of Japan’s most popular trans talents. She is also a businessperson who runs a restaurant as well as working as a talent.

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