Katelyn Ohashi is breaking boundaries in more ways than one. The UCLA gymnast, whose floor routine went very viral in January, posed nude for ESPN’s Body Issue and revealed that she has a rare skin condition called granuloma annulare. In the photos, the bumps appear across her body.
“Some look like bruises; some are complete circles,” she told ESPN. “It actually doesn’t affect me, but people are like, ‘What’s wrong with your stomach?’ I used to feel ashamed. I didn’t like posting pictures in my swimsuit or showing my stomach. But now I feel like it’s important to show it because so many people try to hide it.”
Granuloma annulare is a relatively common skin condition that causes coin-shaped patches of dry, scaly skin, per Medscape. According to the Mayo Clinic, the condition is brought on by a multitude of causes, such as animal or insect bites, infections, vaccinations, tattoos, sun exposure, skin injuries, and drugs. It’s not contagious, and most cases occur in healthy people, per the NIH.
It affects women over twice as often as men, per American Family Physician. According to the Genetic and Rare Disease Center, 25 percent of cases of granuloma annulare last more than five years; an even smaller percentage lasts 10 years. There are two types of the condition: localized, which affects the forearms, hands, or feet, and generalized, which covers the entire body. The localized and subcutaneous types mostly affect younger people, while the generalized type is more common in older adults.
Katelyn hopes to raise awareness about the condition because it affects so many people. “Recently someone said, ‘I was able to take the bandage off my hand to show my granuloma because you inspired me.’ That was such an amazing thing to hear,” she said. “Why should we have to hide?”
