For almost a decade, Giorgia Lanuzza has tried to hide her body from the cruel taunts and stares from schoolmates as well as strangers.
The 24-year-old from Basingstoke, Hampshire, suffers from a painful skin condition called psoriasis. While most people have small red patches on only parts of their body, Lanuzza said 97% of her body is covered with painful red welts.
"I felt so self-conscious about the condition that it was ruining my life," she said.
After putting up with nearly a decade of strangers staring at her and whispering about her, Giorgia Lanuzza finally decided to change the conversation.
The 24-year-old Brit, who has psoriasis, said in an interview with the Daily Mail that she had endured so much bullying from classmates and cruel comments from strangers that she began to feel like a "freak" and couldn't even stand to look at herself in the mirror.
Psoriasis manifests in red, flaky patches of skin, which can be exacerbated by stress or heat. While many people only get outbreaks on some specific parts of their body, Giorgia says the painful patches cover almost 97 percent of her body.
She experienced her first psoriasis outbreak when she was 13 years old, shortly after her father was killed in a motorcycle accident.
"The condition is often triggered by trauma, and when I lost my dad I felt like the world had ended. We were so close when I was growing up, and I couldn't take losing him," she said. "Grieving was difficult enough. Then, when these flaky patches started appearing on my skin, I had no idea what was happening."
Already heartbroken by the loss of her father, the psoriasis outbreak was devastating for a teenager who just wanted to be "normal."
"People would stop and stare at me in the street," she said. "My psoriasis looks like red, raised spots and people looked at me as if I was disgusting and they might catch something."
For years, Giorgia tried to conceal her condition, hiding it under long sleeves, pants and leggings. Earlier this year, she decided to just face the world!
"Finally, I've come to terms with my skin and have realized that I am beautiful," she said. "After all these years, I finally have confidence in my own skin I want to show other women that their âabnormalities' could be their strengths."
In an age of airbrushing and Photoshop, her honest photos are a breath of fresh air, proving some selfies really are better than others.
