Kim Kardashian's Psoriasis Journey: See the Star's Most Candid Never-Before-Seen Photos

Kim Kardashian West has never shied away from opening up about her psoriasis flare-ups, which she’s dealt with for the past 13 years. Now, the star, 38, is revealing more about her ordeal than ever before with never-before-seen photos and a detailed new essay on Kourtney Kardashian‘s lifestyle site, Poosh.

Despite seeing her mom, Kris Jenner, deal with her own psoriasis struggle, Kardashian West admitted that she truly “had no idea what my life would be like dealing with an autoimmune disease.” While Jenner found that the UV rays from a tanning bed would ease her flare-ups, that wasn’t the case for Kardashian West.

“That remedy would burn the areas and cause them to itch, so I always felt helpless. I am the only child my mom passed down her autoimmune issue to. Lucky me,” the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star wrote.

Kardashian West first noticed her psoriasis when she was 25 years old. “It was all over my stomach and legs,” she said. Luckily, the star turned to a dermatologist who lived in her apartment complex to give her a shot of cortisone (in his office), which kept the skin condition away for about five years.

But her “real psoriasis journey” began in 2010 after noticing her skin was very itchy at the New York City opening of the now-closed DASH boutique. “I thought that my skin was just sensitive toward the dress’s material,” Kardashian West said. “Then I came home to L.A. for Mason’s first birthday party and my mom looked at my leg and said it was definitely psoriasis.”

For the past eight years, Kardashian West noticed that her flare-ups would be quite “unpredictable,” but would often show up “consistently” on her lower right leg.

“I have learned to live with this spot without using any creams or medication—I just deal. Sometimes I cover it up and sometimes I don’t. It doesn’t really bother me,” she wrote.

RELATED: Everything Kim Kardashian Has Ever Said About Her Battle with Psoriasis

Kardashian West actually launched a KKW Beauty Body Foundation earlier this year inspired her time covering up her psoriasis for red carpet events, but says she also feels comfortable letting it show.

“I’ve become extremely comfortable with my psoriasis. No matter where it is on my body, sometimes I am fine with showing it off,” she said. “If you have psoriasis, you can’t let it ruin your life or get the best of you. You have to do what you can to make sure you are comfortable but not let it take over”

For more candid photos of Kardashian West’s psoriasis flare-ups, read her full essay on Poosh.