Ai-Ai reveals she’s been battling psoriasis since age 15

Ai-Ai delas Alas

There is a new liveliness to comedienne Ai-Ai delas Alas’ gait these days.

She has obviously lost weight and is now often seen wearing outfits that bare more skin, specifically her arms and shoulders.

Ai-Ai disclosed she has been suffering from psoriasis—a skin condition—since she was 15 years old, but that she had learned to cope with the disease.

“I’ve kept it a secret for a long time, but now that it has become manageable I’ve decided to talk about it publicly so I can share what I did to more people,” the 52-year-old actress said.

She said she had always worn long-sleeved shirts to hide the red scaly patches on her arms, “even during the peak of summertime.” This proved to be a big problem when she became an actress.

“If work required me to expose my skin, I had to cover everything with makeup,” she shared with the Inquirer.

Ai-Ai said she had a major skin flare-up in the middle of 2016, and so she took her usual shots from her doctor. “But the medicine did not seem to suit me anymore, so I did some research on the illness through the internet and saw a cookbook for psoriasis. I learned that I’ve been eating a lot of the food that psoriasis patients are not allowed to eat,” she explained.

These days, her diet consists of “less salt and sugar, no meat, no dairy products and all organic vegetables. On some days, I allow myself to have eggs and chicken breast meat. I still eat ice cream but it has to be soya-based. I don’t take soft drinks anymore and avoid anything with preservatives.”

When time permits, she would also hit the gym and do circuit training for an hour and a half. “I run for 30 minutes on the treadmill, too, and do toning exercises with dumbbells weighing 10 pounds,” she related.

Ai-Ai said the key was to try to learn as much as you can about the illness you’re afflicted with. “Psoriasis manifests if one’s immune system is compromised,” the actress explained, adding that psoriasis awareness is now her advocacy.

“A friend who was helping me in the renovation of my house also has psoriasis. I told him to quit or minimize smoking and eat organic food. He followed my advice and now I noticed that he’s not wearing long-sleeved shirts anymore. That’s when I realized that I could help others by sharing my experiences with them,” Ai-Ai said.

She also influenced her children into eating only organic food, “especially when they’re feeling sick. Often, their stomachache would go away. I used to have asthma and suffered from vertigo. I have not experienced any attacks lately.”

The actress has lost 27 pounds (12.25 kilograms) since she had a change in lifestyle.

“My goal was to shed off only 20 pounds (9.07 kg), but I’m still losing weight now. As a result, I feel good about myself. I get to wear all the clothes I want,” Ai-Ai declared, recalling to mind a photo recently uploaded on Instagram with her looking slim in a black swimsuit. “I feel healthy and beautiful, and that’s a good start.”