When Dayna Pham was diagnosed with severe psoriasis at 21, the hardest part wasn't the plaques. It was the staring, the dating she stopped doing, and the version of herself she had to grieve. A few years later, on her first day of medical school, psoriatic arthritis arrived too. Now a University of Chicago med student, NPF advocate, and mentor for chronically ill students, Dayna talks candidly about the internal stigma that follows you even when no one's watching, the full-time job of managing a chronic illness on top of everything else, and what kind of doctor she's determined to become. Plus, Holly tells the story of a 12th-century Persian physician who linked a patient's psoriasis to emotional conflict — and why it took Western medicine until practically yesterday to admit that the mind and body are linked.

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Alisha Bridges was seven years old when a bout of chicken pox triggered psoriasis across 90% of her body — and she spent the next decade hiding it, until a beauty pageant, a department-store makeup counter, and a grandmother who refused to let her quit changed everything. In this episode, Alisha talks about turning shame into a platform, taking her story to Capitol Hill, and why mental health and diversity in research sit at the heart of her advocacy work. Plus, Holly digs into the surprisingly recent legal history that made it illegal to fire someone for having psoriasis — from an outrageous 1989 termination letter in the UK to the courtroom fight that finally forced American law to recognize chronic illness as the disability it actually is.

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If you've ever felt like no one in the room really gets what you're going through — this season is for you. Holly Frey of Stuff You Missed in History Class returns with Season 3 of Our Skin, expanding the conversation to include psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), and the full, complicated reality of living in a body that others don't always see clearly.

Each episode, we pull up a seat for people who've been there — through the appointments, the flare-ups, and everything in between. Honest, practical conversations about how to advocate for yourself, leave a doctor's office feeling heard, and navigate the hard parts without figuring it all out alone.
Then we zoom out — into the wild, weird history of how we've treated our skin, from ancient remedies to modern breakthroughs still being written.

Because when we share our stories with people who understand them, we create something bigger than awareness. We create community. A place where you're never the only one in the room.

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