There’s something wonderful about the pixie-like Cyndi Lauper, whose 1983 smash song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” became a worldwide anthem, urging women of all ages to do what the song advises. Lauper embodies coolness. Her unique, carefree personality, creative dress, and colorful hair motivate others with the message to be yourself.
But beneath her comical voice, which generates feel-good energy in listeners, Lauper suffers from psoriasis, a terrible skin condition that was once so aggressive it looked like someone threw boiling water on her. In 2010, the renowned pop artist, now 69, revealed her ongoing struggle with psoriasis, an incurable chronic skin illness.
Psoriasis is a skin ailment that can cause severe pain, itching, discomfort, and scaly areas. The skin condition affects around 8 million people in the United States and 125 million globally. Lauper first noticed symptoms such as scalp irritations and general discomfort, which worsened over time.
She initially blamed the itching scalp on the regular dyeing of her hair, but the incidents persisted, inflicting physical and mental misery on the award-winning performer.
The “Time After Time” singer is a working mother, traveling pop star, and activist. Lauper is an advocate of human rights, inspired by her lesbian sister Ellen, and works diligently to help the LGBT community.
Her song “Above the Clouds,” composed in 2005, was dedicated to Matthew Shepard, a homosexual 21-year-old student who was murdered in Wyoming. She also launched “True Colors,” a musical tour that benefits local and private LGBT organizations and foundations, in 2007-2008.
In addition to her activism, Lauper is a talented singer, songwriter, and actress. Lauper has received multiple prizes over her four-decade career, including a Tony Award, two Grammy prizes, an MTV Music Video Award, and an Emmy Award for her 1995 participation in an episode of the TV series Mad About You.
She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and was invited as a special guest to US President Barack Obama’s second inauguration in 2013. Lauper is a formidable force, unaffected by her condition. Refusing to let psoriasis control her, the True Colors singer is learning to handle stress, which can cause a flare-up.
When she was stricken with severe psoriasis, she penned the music and lyrics for the Broadway smash musical Kinky Boots, winning a Tony Award for Best Original Score. Lauper is the first woman to win a Tony Award just in that category. The musical also received five more Tony Awards, including Best New Musical.
Lauper spoke openly with the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) about her autoimmune skin problem in the hopes of helping others.
“I’ve never been able to really manage stress.” She explained that she has taken a holistic approach to healing and stress relief both at home and on the road. She learned reiki, a Japanese practice for stress relief and relaxation, and stated, “That helps me.”
In addition to reiki, Lauper meditates, practices yoga, and goes for walks in nature with her dog and husband, David Thornton, whom she married in 1991. They have one son, born in 1997. “It’s not a bad thing to take care of yourself,” Lauper remarked, urging people to “make a little time for you.”
You may start small. “How about five minutes for you?” she continued.
With a lot of tenacity, Lauper admits that “when psoriasis gets really bad, it’s really difficult to get up again.” She has occasionally been unable to control her body temperature, resulting in a cold, which can lead to hypothermia. Despite her slumber, the discomfort worsened, and those who questioned the severity of the issue, stating, “It’s just a rash,” exacerbated the situation.
“You don’t have to suffer,” Lauper said. There are treatments available to alleviate the frequently terrible consequences of psoriasis, including topical, oral, and injectable. Lauper found relief with Novartis’ Cosentyx, and as its advocate, she claims she is “four years clear.”
Lauper spoke with HealthDay in 2017 on her psoriasis management strategy.
“It’s funny—you start wearing gloves or this and that, hoping that [psoriasis] is invisible, but it isn’t. I was not wearing it like, ‘Woo-hoo, check the hell out!’ Isn’t everyone hiding it? You’d be shocked at how many people have it but don’t discuss it. It’s one of those things that goes unnoticed; therefore, it’s important to talk about it.”
She discusses it on her podcast PsO in the Know, which features celebrities, advocates, and regular people who offer observations about life with psoriasis. The show is now in its third season and can be downloaded via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, and Stitcher.
Lauper is hardly the only star that has psoriasis. Kim Kardashian, 42, was diagnosed when she was 30 and has been candid about her challenges. Her 67-year-old mother, Kris Jenner, experienced her first outbreak in her late 20s and described it as “life-changing.” Other celebrities with psoriasis include musician Art Garfunkel (81), actor Jon Lovitz (65), and “The Beaver” or Jerry Mathers (74).
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We are so fortunate to have role models like Cyndi Lauper using her influence to help others overcome their challenges. She is such a brave woman and we can’t imagine a world without her talents, and journey, in it!