Cyndi Lauper's 'awful' health condition she tried to hide for years

Cyndi Lauper has opened up about her "awful" health condition, which she kept hidden for years before finally seeking help.The iconic American singer, aged 71, confessed to enduring a painful health ordeal and resorted to extreme measures to conceal it from her fans.

She even went to the lengths of spray painting herself before TV appearances and having special costumes designed for her stage performances. Cyndi has since spoken out about her battle with psoriasis, aiming to support others dealing with the condition.

The star, who performed at Glastonbury in 2024 on Saturday, was diagnosed with plaque psoriasis back in 2010, reports the Mirror. Cyndi faced a long struggle before finding a specialist who could help.

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Plaque psoriasis, as described by the NHS, is the most prevalent type of psoriasis, characterised by dry skin lesions or plaques covered with scales. These typically manifest on elbows, knees, scalp, and lower back but can occur anywhere on the body. The plaques are often itchy, sore, or both.

"It wasn't just a rash for me. It's my whole body," she explained to Prevention. "When I was just living with it, it was flared [up] on the back of my arms. I thought, 'Here's a good idea, I'll wear shirts that open in the front so I don't look like Mother Cabrini, all covered up'... Then, of course, [the psoriasis] moves."

Cyndi admitted to resorting to spray paint to disguise her condition before TV appearances until she finally sought medical advice. She previously disclosed how she copes with severe flare-ups: "When psoriasis gets really bad, it's really hard to get up again," acknowledging there was a time when psoriasis engulfed most of her body andshe said it "looked like someone threw boiling water on me."

The star talked about trying to hide her psoriasis under higher-necked clothes, turtlenecks and long sleeves, confessing she looked like a nun. Attempting other solutions, she found makeup only roughened her skin texture and turned to self-tanner, aiming to "look normal".

Cyndi also mentioned including mesh netting in her stage costumes to conceal her affected skin. Cyndi has described being incapacitated by her psoriasis, comparing herself to the Elephant Man when sharing her challenges after teaming up with the National Psoriasis Foundation. She revealed: "My immune system got a little wacky, and it took my strength away. My skin was so inflamed, it could not regulate hot and cold, so I had the chills all the time."

Earlier this month, Cyndi announced a farewell tour set to take place later this year.