Kim Kardashian ‘Can’t Even Bear to Leave the House’ Amid Painful Battle With Skin Condition Psoriasis

Kim Kardashian has suffered from psoriasis since her mid-20s, but her flare ups are becoming increasingly common, as well as painful. She privately complains how the skin condition is ruining her life, an insider close to the star reveals to Life & Style .

“Kim opened up about how much her psoriasis troubled her during the Met Gala, but there’ve been plenty of other times it’s flared up and made her life miserable,” the insider says.

The Kardashians star, 43, revealed that she suffered a particularly severe, burning flare up right before the Met Gala in May during the July 16 episode of Mary Alice Haney and Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi's health-focused podcast, "SHE MD." Kim explained that it was the first time she’s had the painful condition spread to her face .

“Anytime she’s stressed or upset she can pretty well count on having to cope with a bad bout of it and it does a real number on her self-esteem,” the source says.

In January, Kim shared pictures on Instagram of what effects her condition, which has no cure, has on the skin on her arms and legs. Red, painful-looking splotches can be seen on the reality star’s shin area.

While Kim said in the post she’s unsure of the specific trigger that caused the Met Gala episode, stress, diet and other lifestyle choices often affect the condition and cause flare ups.

“When she has a break-up, not only is she left heartbroken, she also has to cope with feeling the pain and embarrassment of a bad psoriasis flare up,” the source explains. Apparently, it “can be really painful and itchy on top of the way it impacts how she feels about her skin.”

“She also has to really watch her diet and what she drinks because too much sugar or alcohol can kick it off,” the source says. “That’s at least in her control, but one thing she can never control is Kanye.”

Kim was married to rapper Kanye West , now known as Ye , for nearly eight years. His public antics and struggle with mental health issues caused no shortage of stress and grief for the TV star, who filed for divorce from the rapper in February 2021 and was named legally single in March 2022.

“When [Ye] acts up and causes her stress, you can pretty much guarantee that her skin will react,” the insider says of Kim’s ongoing battle with the condition.

Kim, who founded the skincare company SKKN by Kim, in 2022, is no stranger to beauty treatments or skincare regimes. She even has a tanning bed in her house, which she uses to try to treat her psoriasis.

Still, the insider reveals that “she’s tried all the creams and medicines, but nothing really seems to help.”

Despite everything on the billionaire entrepreneur’s plate at the moment, including filming for her Hulu series, The Kardashians , and running SKKN and Skims, a shapewear and underwear line, the insider says “there are plenty of times it gets so bad she can’t even bear to leave the house and will end up canceling her plans.”