Nate Berkus Reveals Psoriasis Diagnosis After Nearly a Decade: 'It Can Be Depressing' (Exclusive)

“It's frustrating. It can be isolating,” the HGTV star tells PEOPLE of his chronic skin condition

Nearly a decade ago, Nate Berkus was visiting California to film a television show when he woke up to red patches all over his face, immediately having a moment of “sheer panic” while looking in the mirror.

“I was in a dermatologist's office two hours later. I'm not messing around with that,” he tells PEOPLE with a laugh.

The interior designer, 51, recently spoke to PEOPLE about being diagnosed with psoriasis nine years ago and why he’s waited until now to reveal his skin condition.

Psoriasis is a chronic and incurable skin disease that causes a rash with itchy, scaly and sometimes painful patches, according to the Mayo Clinic. It can be painful and interfere with sleep and other everyday tasks. The condition also tends to go through cycles, flaring for a few weeks or months, then subsiding for a while. While there is no cure, treatments are available to help manage symptoms.

When the rashes first appeared, Berkus initially thought he might be having an allergic reaction to a new soap or skin product. However, the HGTV star quickly got into problem-solving mode.

“I don't really believe in self diagnosing,” he admits. “I have such a great relationship with my dermatologist — he’s literally on speed dial. I send them photographs of things that I see on myself. I'm like, ‘Live or die? Weigh in.’”

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After a chat with his New York-based dermatologist, he was referred to another doctor while out of town, and had a visit and diagnosis within hours.

“It's a bit of a bummer and it can be depressing,” Berkus says of having psoriasis. “I do all these things in life, try to be a good husband, try to be a good dad, try to eat well, I go to my personal trainers. I like to look good, I like to feel good in my own skin. So, this is not something that's really within my control. It's one of those things that I have to live with and it can be really frustrating and the outbreaks come at the most inopportune times, almost always.”

“For me, there was also a psychological impact,” he continues. “As somebody that is in the public eye — truth is, we're all sort of in the public eye now with social media — it's been really challenging to not be able to count on my appearance or the quality, the condition of my skin. I think people that have chronic skin issues know exactly what I'm talking about.”

Despite the frustration, the Nate and Jeremiah Home Project star admits that he’s actually “lucky” because his flare ups aren’t painful like some other people. Berkus says his rashes are typically “dry and uncomfortable” and can be stress induced, which makes him more conscious whenever he has high-stress events to attend.

But because Berkus says his relationship with his dermatologist has developed into a friendship over the years, managing his psoriasis has been smooth and the pair have mastered a “successful” two-step treatment plan for him.

Related: 17 Celebrities Who've Spoken Candidly About Their Psoriasis

After so many years of living with psoriasis, Berkus says he's revealing his diagnosis now after learning how many people navigate their skin conditions by themselves.

“It's frustrating. It can be isolating. I was really surprised that some of my closest friends also have psoriasis or eczema and we had never discussed it — and we talked about everything,” the Oprah alum says, noting that it sparked his drive toward raising awareness by partnering with AbbVie for a new campaign.

On Aug. 15, Berkus will be moderating the company’s roundtable event, “Science of Skin: The Psychosocial Impact of Chronic Skin Disease,” which will feature a discussion among eczema and psoriasis patients, healthcare professionals, and advocacy leaders. He hopes people dealing with chronic skin conditions learn to be more proactive in their health journey and build a strong relationship with their dermatologist like he has.

“Psoriasis is something that I've been navigating largely on my own until now and this felt like a great opportunity to kind of be public about it,” Berkus tells PEOPLE.

“I think having a chronic skin condition is something that a lot of people just don't talk about and don't feel comfortable sharing,” he adds. “I think it's great to just be open and ignite a conversation around it and get more people to develop better relationships with their own dermatologist.”

“This is something that people should know about. Why not? There’s resources,” Berkus says.

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