Singer cruelly mocked for her flaky skin condition defies bullies to become a beauty queen
A PERFORMER cruelly mocked for her dry 'scaly' skin condition is defying bullies by winning beauty pageants.
Bailey Pretak, 30, from Wilcox in Pennsylvania, USA, was born with lamellar ichthyosis – a genetic disorder that means her skin constantly cracks and sheds.
If she doesn't exfoliate and moisturise her face, hands and feet on a daily basis her skin will crack and leave her in pain.
At school, she was called "scaly Bailey" and children who feared she was "contagious" stopped playing with the same toys as her.
She was excluded from a lot of activities growing up and only began to come out of her shell thanks to acting, singing and dancing.
Bailey started entering beauty pageants two years ago, and has since won the titles of Miss Pennsylvania, Ultimate Queen and Miss Congeniality - an award voted for by fellow competitors.
She's now travelling around the USA using her performances as a platform to educate others about ichthyosis and raise money to help further research for a cure.
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Bailey, who works in a bank, said: "As a child I felt very excluded and left out, I wasn't always included as people were afraid of my skin.
"In kindergarten, parents wanted kids moved out of my class or not to touch the toys I played with because they thought I was contagious and there was a stigma similar to leprosy.
"I've overheard people calling me 'scaly Bailey' and other kinds of comments, like that I'd been sunburned.
"Because of my experiences growing up, I never thought a person with ichthyosis could be a beauty queen, you get stereotypes in your mind about what one looks like."
Bailey decided to go for the pageants and in her first year was named Miss Pennsylvania at Pure International Pageants.
A year later she was awarded a title for her volunteering, and also won Miss Congeniality.
She said: "I went from being the shy, insecure girl to being on stage modelling, it's amazing how far I've come.
"The arts are a huge thing for me, they brought me out of my shell, on stage people see the characters I perform, the music I sing or dance to and don't judge me by my skin.
"I'm using my performances to educate others, the more people who understand the condition, the less they fear it.
"I find it so fulfilling to do, I take the hardships from my own life and see them as a blessing to share with other families."
Bailey's condition affects one in 200,000 and is often diagnosed at birth as children are born with a thin white membrane layer and fluid over their skin – called collodion membrane.
Over the years, to help her combat the dry skin caused by ichthyosis, she moisturises frequently and uses sugar scrubs to remove dead cells on her body.
Bailey said: "I shower and lotion my full body once a day to break down the scaling,
"If I forget to lotion one of my arms or the bottom half of my legs, I know I will regret it a few hours into the day when my skin starts to tighten and cracks.
"Summer is easier for me as it's so humid and my skin looks better, but in winter my hands and feet crack all the time - sometimes a quarter of an inch deep.
"Because the skin on my hands and feet crack, it can be especially hard to walk and dance with this condition.
"But I've learned to deal with the pain the best I can and work through it.
"I also shed all day long, it looks a little like dandruff, and my mum calls it my 'angel dust'."
While growing up Bailey suffered nasty comments due to strangers' misconceptions about the appearance of her skin.
Bailey said: "At times, I have felt very alone and like an outcast, but I've never given up.
"One of the worst experiences was when I was a child, I was watching whales in the splash zone and these kids behind me were laughing and pointing at me.
"Because we didn't both speak the same language, it was the hardest thing as I couldn't explain to them that I wasn't contagious and that it was a skin disorder.
"Other times I've been asked if I didn't wear sunscreen and was burned, some questions come out very rude.
"You very quickly learn you're different, especially when it's so physical you can't hide your condition."
Bailey was the only person she knew with the condition until the age of 11, which she found difficult, often feeling isolated and 'like the only person' with ichthyosis.
To combat her insecurities Bailey found her confidence through performance classes and now she's an avid actress.
In kindergarten, parents wanted kids moved out of my class or not to touch the toys I played with because they thought I was contagious and there was a stigma similar to leprosy.
Bailey Pretak
Empowered by the arts, Bailey is now travelling around the States trying to educate people about ichthyosis and is raising money for the charity FIRST - Foundation for Ichthyosis & Related Skin Types.
Bailey said: "It's really important to meet other families, as you realise you're not alone and that there are people who understand what you're going through.
"I'm going to the hometowns of people with ichthyosis, hosting Q&A panels, sharing stories of being bullied and how I overcame it
"I'm hoping to start travelling to other places, I'm trying to find sponsors or businesses to help enable us to keep going, up until this point I've done it entirely out of my own pocket."
Bailey is looking for sponsorship to
Her condition means that she is unable to sweat and to moderate her body temperature she's reliant upon air-conditioning units.
This presents her with a constant risk of overheating and additionally means that a fever can be life-threatening.
What is lamellar ichthyosis?
Lamellar ichthyosis is a rare skin condition that causes the individual to abnormally scale and shed skin.
It is estimated to affect one in 200,000 and is often diagnosed at birth as children are born with a thin white membrane layer and fluid over their skin – called collodion membrane.
Sufferers often have plate-like skin which can have a brownish-hue to its colour.
The condition occurs when both parents of a child carry the abnormal gene. If they do, there is a one in four chance the child will develop it.
Lamellar ichthyosis can cause overheating due to it preventing sweating. It can also cause eye problems, blood flow constriction to toes and fingers, difficulty in bending joints and hair loss.
Currently there is no cure and the main treatment is the regular application of moisturiser.
Incidences of moderate to severe ichthyosis - a family of genetic skin disorders characterised by dry, cracked, scaling skin that may be either thickened or very thin – is between 200 and 400 new cases each year.
Dr Anjali Mahto, Consultant Dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokesperson, said: "Lamellar ichthyosis is a genetic disorder that mainly affects the skin.
"Skin cells are produced at a normal rate but not shed normally resulting in scaling of the skin.
"Babies may be born with a collodian membrane and may have problems with temperature regulation, and infection at birth."
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Another skin condition that can cause irritation is psoriasis, and we wrote a piece explaining how it is caused and treated.
We also wrote about a woman who became a sunbed addict as she says topping up her tan helps her with agonising condition that makes her shed her skin like a snake.