LeAnn Rimes raises psoriasis awareness

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., March 31 (UPI) -- Recording artist LeAnn Rimes, who has been a psoriasis patient since age 2, is heading a U.S. campaign to raise awareness to "Stop Hiding from Psoriasis."

Rimes is partnering with the American Academy of Dermatology and National Psoriasis Foundation to encourage people to "Make a Change Pledge" online at StopHiding.org.

"The purpose of the Make a Change Pledge is to empower people living with psoriasis to make changes that can help them increase their understanding of the disease and its impact on their everyday lives, as well as encourage them to work with a dermatologist to optimally manage their disease," Rimes says in a statement.

"As a performer in the public spotlight, coping with my psoriasis was scary and frustrating at times. I had to recognize how psoriasis was affecting many aspects of my life and commit to managing it. Personally, I learned to control my disease by working with a dermatologist to develop a treatment plan that is best for me."

Individual pledges range from "recognizing that psoriasis is a chronic immune disease" and "telling my dermatologist about all the ways psoriasis affects me" to "increasing psoriasis awareness by educating others about the condition."