La La Anthony Opens Up About Plaque Psoriasis and How She Stays Confident (EXCLUSIVE)
The actress reveals her early symptoms and how she manages the autoimmune condition
Since revealing her plaque psoriasis diagnosis in 2015, La La Anthony has become a powerful voice for those living with the chronic skin condition. Plaque psoriasis—often mistaken for dry skin or eczema—isn’t always easy to manage and usually causes discomfort.
Recently, the actress and TV personality opened up to First For Women about her journey and how she’s learned to care for her skin while balancing a life in the spotlight. Read on to learn about her experience with plaque psoriasis, plus get expert advice from a dermatologist on recognizing symptoms and effective treatment options.
What is plaque psoriasis?
Plaque psoriasis is more than just a skin condition. “It’s a systemic inflammatory disease that starts inside the body and causes dry, scaly, raised patches on the skin that can be itchy and uncomfortable,” says Meagen McCusker, MD, MS, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist.
Patients with this autoimmune disease may experience consistent patches of dry, flaky skin or have flare-ups where irritation worsens due to weather or stress. For Anthony, her plaque psoriasis has remained relatively the same since her diagnosis 10 years ago. “I haven’t seen it get worse. I haven’t seen it get better. I figured out ways to cope with it and found a plan with my doctor that works for me,” she told First for Women.
Dr. McCusker says there’s no simple explanation for why people get this disease. However, there’s likely a genetic component since it’s often seen in families. She adds that something triggers the immune system, which leads to uncontrolled inflammation. As a result, the skin cells grow faster than normal and cause itchy, flaky patches and inflammation that can destroy the joints’ cartilage.
La La’s early plaque psoriasis symptoms
“I definitely noticed rough and flaky patches,” says Anthony. “I would come out of the shower and still have flakes on my scalp, and was confused because I had just washed my hair.” The actress shared that she mainly sees her plaque psoriasis behind her ears, around her eyebrows or on her scalp.
Her friends or family were trying to diagnose it as something else like dry skin or eczema. “They tried to say I wasn’t using the right lotion or the right products, but I finally realized through my dermatologist that it wasn’t just a skin condition,” shares Anthony.
While Anthony deals with rough or flaky patches in smaller areas, Dr. McCusker says they can sometimes be scaly and cover large patches of the skin. And it shows up differently for everyone. For instance, “It often looks red with silvery scales on lighter skin tones, but on darker skin types, psoriasis may look dark brown or violet with grayish scales,” she adds.
Why confidence is key for dealing with her plaque psoriasis
Anthony says it hasn’t always been easy managing her condition, and it can be “distracting” while she’s working.
Now, she’s realized that “It doesn’t have to slow you down, and it doesn’t have to make you stop living your life,” she says. “I mean, it can be noticeable and it can be embarrassing, but there are ways to cope and ways to still have a really big life.”
Her best advice: “Be confident. I’m on camera, so people are staring at me all day. So if I can do it, you definitely can.” She continues, “When you feel like someone’s looking at you, or you feel like there’s something that people can see, it does affect your confidence. So it’s about just stepping out there and knowing that you can still live a great life.”
That confidence led to her partnership with Amgen, a biopharmaceutical company, to help break the stigma around plaque psoriasis.
Anthony on advocating for plaque psoriasis treatment
To help inform others and offer support, Anthony teamed up with pharma company Amgen to share her personal struggles with the skin condition. “I partnered with them to help educate people about plaque psoriasis because I have it, and it’s not something that you have to hide in the closet.”
The partnership also includes an interactive video on MomentswithLaLa.com, where people can “talk about plaque psoriasis, learn more about my journey and talk to their doctor about what treatment is best for them,” she adds.
“Amgen and I really just want to educate people on it, because there’s a lot of people in the world that actually have this,” says Anthony. “More than six million people in the U.S. live with plaque psoriasis. So I’m definitely not alone in this journey, and I just want to help people as best I can.”
Effective treatment options for plaque psoriasis
When treating plaque psoriasis, Dr. McCusker says many people use topical medications such as creams or ointments. “These may provide some relief, but ultimately are just treating the symptoms—not the root cause of the inflammation.” To get to the bottom of plaque psoriasis, Dr. McCusker recommends taking Otezla, an oral medication that reduces inflammation inside your body.
That’s why Anthony talked with her doctor to determine what works best for her. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing,” she emphasizes. “I’m not currently on medication for it, but once you talk to your doctor, you may find that route is your best plan of action.”
As for how Anthony manages her condition, she said she often adjusts her hairstyle depending on whether or not she’s having a flare-up. “If I have flaky patches behind my ears, I wouldn’t wear my hair up. I’ve learned tricks of the trade and when I feel I need to cover those patches and when I don’t.” She also tried a prescribed shampoo but had to use it daily, which didn’t match her hair-washing schedule.
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