Sean Gillies, a 35-year-old Edinburgh Council worker, has built an app called SkinDeep Circles to help people with visible differences connect and feel less alone. The release marks what he described as a “huge personal milestone” after his confidence hit “rock bottom” during psoriasis flare-ups.
From flare-ups to app development
Gillies said that during flare-ups he would wear gloves or cover his hands with his sleeves because he felt people were looking at him. He hopes the app will be a place where users can chat and feel that their “challenges are understood”.
While SkinDeep Circles is not solely a dating app, that option is available for those who want it. Gillies, who is not a “tech guy”, had to learn coding and app development from scratch, putting himself through self-funded development programmes.
Learning to code from scratch
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Gillies said: “During my psoriasis flare-ups, my confidence and self-esteem would hit rock bottom. Mainstream apps focus so much on first impressions, and I never felt like I had a space to present myself as I was.”
He added: “I’m not a tech guy. I spent the first month building every individual screen from scratch. I’ve had to learn about coding, functions, APIs and so much more, then try to understand how it all fits together.”
Balancing work and the app
A street and traffic sign inspector, Gillies said he would work on the app most nights after work, often past 3am, as well as during lunch breaks and weekends. He described the process as “unbelievably challenging” but said he put a lot of time into it.
“During a flare-up, I’d be thinking about whether people were looking at my skin, pulling my sleeves over my hands and worrying about having to explain myself,” he said. “Something another person might do without a second thought could leave me feeling really anxious.”
Hoping to help others
With the app now ready to download, Gillies hopes it can help others “feel less alone”. He said it is a place to share experiences, have everyday conversations, and make friends with people who understand those challenges.
“There’s optional dating too, but you don’t have to be looking for a relationship to belong there,” he added. “If someone who’s having a difficult time with their confidence finds a connection and feels understood, that would mean a lot to me.”
