A woman with psoriasis is bravely going make-up free to show the world the realities of living with the skin condition.
Ciena Rae Nelson, who is an actress, model and and self-described 'psoriasis warrior', is sharing powerful and honest photos to her Instagram account.
On Monday, she shared two photos side-by-side, to illustrate what is really going on underneath her make-up.
The left-hand photo is of Nelson wearing make-up, she explains, while the right-hand photo is the same image with higher saturation and structure.
"Most people looked at the left in person and didn't notice much but dry spots here and there, not noticing what was really underneath," she wrote, adding: "Not everything is as bad as it looks and sometimes things are actually much worse."
The photos have since gone viral, with Instagram users admiring her "courage" for sharing the images.
One user wrote: "Thank you for your high and wide courage, in this way you have given some to me to fight my own battle against psoriasis."
"Thank you for highlighting this and being brave in sharing your story," wrote another.
According to the NHS, psoriasis is a skin condition that causes red, flaky, crusty patches of skin covered with silvery scales. Although the condition usually appears on elbows and knees, it can occur anywhere on the body.
Nelson first started sharing photos of her psoriasis over a year ago. Writing in a previous post, she stressed the importance of looking at people beyond face value: "Not everything is as it seems. Often people 'silently' struggle. Be nice to yourselves and to others. Our bodies do amazing things day in and day out..treat them as such."
"Skin conditions are not cosmetic issues," she said previously. "They cause physical pain and suffering and oftentimes a feeling of being trapped in your own body, on top of the social anxiety many people face because of them.
"I personally struggle with sleep deprivation due to constant, widespread itchiness that feels more like I'm being stung or bitten then I am ‘itchy.’"
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