Kim Kardashian Shares Candid Photos of Her Painful Psoriasis on Her Instagram Story

Kim Kardashian has been revealing more of herself on social media lately, and we don't just mean that cut-out dress!

She's been sharing more glimpses of her personal life, including photos with her children, partaking in Elf on the Shelf, and filming TikToks with her oldest daughter, North West.

Now Kardashian is getting even more real with fans, as she shared photos and videos of her psoriasis on her Instagram Story.

She zoomed in on the sizable rash and said, "How crazy is my psoriasis right now, guys?"

She added "It's like all up my leg and I don't know what's happening but I got to figure this out…this is crazy."

Kardashian did not hold back with fans and expressed the discomfort caused by the rash: "Not gonna lie, this is painful," she said. "Not sure what my triggers are. I haven't changed my diet. I've tried everything! Psoriasis sucks."

The reality TV star was first diagnosed with psoriasis in 2011. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder that causes skin cells to multiply too rapidly, resulting in a body rash that's often scaly, itchy, and inflamed.

Kardashian has spoken about that initial diagnosis. In 2019, she wrote an essay about her autoimmune disorder for her sister Kourtney Kardashian's Poosh site.

"One night, I woke up to use the restroom and I physically couldn't pick up my phone," she explained. "I thought it was strange but maybe I just slept on my hands weird and I was so tired, I didn't need to be checking my phone at that hour anyway. I fell right back asleep."

She continued "I woke up that morning and I still couldn't pick up my phone. I was freaking out—I couldn't even pick up a toothbrush, my hands hurt so badly. As the day went on, I got a bit more movement in my hands, but they really hurt from the inside—I felt it in my bones."

She was initially diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and lupus before her medical team realized it was psoriatic arthritis, which can stem from psoriasis. 

On her Instagram Story, Kardashian expressed that she frequently experiences psoriasis, but not this extent. It "usually" occurs in the same spot on her calf, but this time has migrated to her thighs.

"Just wanted to share my journey with you guys," she wrote.

While these posts may seem out of place with the general glamour of Kardashian's social feed, they help to normalize conditions like psoriasis and remind people that there is more going on behind the Instagram photos.

But after these posts, it was straight back to her regular content, with videos of Kardashian getting her makeup done.

This personal reveal comes just weeks after Kardashian defended her use of tanning beds, claiming it helps her psoriasis.

Kardashian had posted a TikTok video touring the new offices of her relaunched beauty brand SKKN by Kim. It followed the "Of Course" trend, and one part had Kardashian saying, "I'm Kim Kardashian, of course I have a tanning bed and a red light bed in my office."

Fans were not impressed and called her out for promoting tanning beds. They especially found it tactless given the link to skin cancer, which her sister Khloé Kardashian has had twice.

Allure released an article called "Please, Kim Kardashian, Don't Try to Normalize Tanning Beds," which discussed the high risk of skin cancer associated with indoor tanning. 

Kardashian wrote a reply to this article on X, and said, "I have psoriasis and it really helps when it's bad. But I don't use it too often."

As Allure pointed out, "Contrary to popular belief, UV exposure can be more harmful than helpful in the treatment of psoriasis."

The more you know.