Claire Sweeney pleads fans for help with painful skin condition (2024)

Claire Sweeney took to her Instagram on Monday to ask fans for help after revealing she suffers from a painful skin condition called perioral dermatitis.

The Coronation Street actress, 53, - who currently plays the role of homeless drug addict Cassandra Plummer on the soap - revealed she was having a bad day as she posted a picture of her inflamed skin.

Showing a very sore-looking rash around her mouth and chin, the soap star wrote: 'Having the worst flair up on my skin with my peri oral dermatitis.'

'Please does anyone know a magic cure. It’s so sore!'

Fans of Claire then flocked to the comment section to give their well wishes and offer her some skin care tips.

According to the British Association of Dermatologists, peri-oral dermatitis causes persistent redness or small bumps around the mouth and nose and is usually treated with steroid creams.

It comes after Claire previously revealed that she suffered from eczema and the condition 'knocked her confidence' as she adjusted to life as a new mother in 2015.

The actress - who is currently in a relationship with Ricky Hatton, revealed that 'stress' triggered the distressing rash and she tried a range of remedies includingaloe vera juice, to try and combat it.

The former Brookside star had her first eczema flare-up in 2000 as she was preparing to exit her role as Lindsey Corkhill in the now-defunct Channel 4 drama.

She said: 'I was just leaving Brookside and my relationship at the time was ending,'

'My life was changing dramatically, I was moving to London and my career was really just taking off – it was a lot to deal with.'

'It knocked my confidence since I got flare-ups on my face and I'm in the spotlight a lot.'

The mother-of-one desperately tried to cover up the rash with makeup at the time, however, that often made it worse.

She added: 'It would often turn into pimples that wouldn't budge.'

After visiting a doctor on London's prestigious Harley Street, Claire, whose mother had psoriasis, tried a range of herbal lotions before moving on to special ailment creams.

She said: ''At first I was trying to deal with it all naturally with aloe vera juice.'

'But eventually, I ended up using emollient creams such as Cetraben, which have really helped.'

'Also, getting enough air on your skin is really important – don't be tempted to cover it up all the time.'

While the condition subsided for a while it did flare up again during her pregnancy with her son Jaxon, now 8 years old.

She revealed: 'Everyone goes on about pregnant women glowing, well I had to deal with severely dry skin and I had dry patches all over my body.'

'Wanting to not use anything full of parabens or SLS, I used Cetraben cream and the relief was immediate. I carry it with me all the time.'

Claire shares her son Jaxon with ex-partner Daniel Reilly, and the couple split in 2015 after a rocky few years.

It came after Claire spoke about her struggle to have a baby after she suffered two 'heartbreaking' miscarriages in 2013.

She said at the time:'I've always wanted to be a mum and nothing, not even being in my 40s was going to get in the way. It has not been an easy ride though.'

'I suffered two really heartbreaking miscarriages before Jaxon was born last September. Nothing prepares you for the sense of loss but I was determined to keep trying and even willing to give IVF a try.'

'I've also never ruled out adoption – it is a wonderful way of parenting, especially for older couples.'

When the star was pregnant with Jaxon, she started spotting and was diagnosed with placenta previa, where the placenta drops down above the cervix and any impact or too much movement can make it bleed.

She has also previously suffered from a condition called symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) - inflamed pelvic joints - which made it painful to walk.

However, despite the complications, the star admitted she loved being pregnant and learned a lot about herself.

She admitted: 'Despite some complications, I did love being pregnant. As a woman, it felt beautiful and I learned a lot about myself during those months.'

'You bond with your baby so much in advance of its birth so much so that I was bursting with joy when Jaxon arrived.'