Comment from: Smiley, 35-44 Female (Patient)Published: January 20
I was diagnosed with vitiligo about nine months ago. I started using 100% cocoa butter in the tube, and it helped make the white spots around my eyes and ears less noticeable.
Comment from: TheAlaskan, 19-24 Female (Patient)Published: January 20
I've had vitiligo my whole life. I'm 20 now with 80% coverage of it. I have a hubby and a kid and a life outside of the house! The greatest treatment I've found is simply accepting it. It is who you are. I think of it as art. I had a horrible time with people (even family) gawking at it and treating me horrible. School was especially horrible! But I found great friends who used my white patches like a coloring book. (I'm part Native American so I had it visible year-round). I love to safely tan every summer to see what changes happened during the winter. I finally embraced it. I'm not like all the other sheep in the pasture, so to speak. I'm me! Sure it's hard, but what isn't? Life shouldn't stop because you are different.
Comment from: Dolly, 19-24 Female (Patient)Published: May 08
I am 23 and from India. I have suffered from vitiligo since I was 5 years old. I started medication, but of no use I had given up but my parents were still hoping. My tensed parents tried many doctors and treatments, but none of them were useful. They are tense because I'm single. I had white patches on my legs, hand, eyes, ears which are visible to everyone. I always try to cover myself completely, but it is not possible every time. Everyone always asks how I got my white patches; people have been making hurtful comments even my brother. Maybe they feel ashamed of me, but it hurts really. So, I try not to get stressed because of vitiligo, but even though it is spread not rapidly, but slowly I am not interested in going out to parties. It burns in the sun. My true friends in college don't notice my condition until I share my story with them. I am embarrassed of my scar.
Comment from: clickchic, 55-64 Female (Patient)Published: April 01
I'm 55 yr old woman who has vitiligo for 16 years. Mine spread rapidly throughout my body, with depigmentation on joints, under eyes, hair, etc. I tried oral and light medications to no real avail. I eventually used Benoquin which is a medication to permanently depigment the skin. Which for the most part is complete but for some spots on my face. I have to be extremely careful in the sun using hi SPF's all the time. Self tanners are great, also dying your hair to enhance your very white skin helps. People have been making hurtful comments before during and after treatment, and I chalk it up to ignorance.
Comment from: Mollee, 13-18 Female (Patient)Published: February 25
I'm 16 years old and was diagnosed with vitiligo at age 10. I started to get the white spots on my knees and stomach when I was younger, around age 5 or 6 and they gradually spread and increased in size. Now I have them on my feet, elbows, armpits, stomach, knees, groin area, chest, and even a white streak in my hair. As a kid I was always picked on or asked what happened to my skin. It took a while for me to get over my skin pigment, but I've learned to live with it. I'm not afraid to wear cute swimsuits anymore or wear shorts. I have naturally dark skin year round so it is very visible and during the summer I have to wear high SPF sunscreen. I think the best treatment for this is to just live with it. I'm not going to lie, I actually have come to like it and other people do too. Everyone always asks how I got my white streak and I tell them it's natural from my skin pigment and they really like it. Maybe it's the time and place we live in now, but I believe things like this are respected and accepted. As long as you feel comfortable with it, you'll look comfortable and confident too. One of my goals in life is to be a model, and I'm not going to let my skin pigment hold me back, it's who I am and no one is going to ever change that.
Comment from: 25-34 Female (Patient)Published: January 20
I'm 28 and living in South Africa. I've been living with vitiligo since I was 9 years old. It spread all over my legs in my teens and I used homeopathic medicine for several years that worked very slowly, but most of the spots on my legs disappeared. It's mainly small spots on my fingers, feet, elbows, and eyes now. It hasn't spread very much for several years, and I have started using a vitamin B12 supplement, as it was recommended to me by a well-known South African dermatologist. I find it works in keeping it at bay!
Comment from: Rahil, 13-18 Female (Patient)Published: January 20
I'm an18-year-old Iranian girl. I faced vitiligo when I was just 9! My worried parents tried many doctors and treatments but none of them were useful. The only thing that became clear to us was that it is related to nerves. So, I try not to get stressed and anxious. We gave up visiting skin specialists, and I tried to work on it mentally. Now, after nine years, the two pale patches I had on my face have completely disappeared. I just have two left on my neck. I learned step by step how not to get mad and worried about every little thing. When I learned how to overcome stress and get relaxed, I really got better. So my advice is to use daily sunscreen and try to work on yourself mentally. Talk to your friends and family members or visit a therapist, and don't get too sensitive about your disease.
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Hyperthyroidism is an excess of thyroid hormone resulting from an overactive thyroid gland. Symptoms can include increased heart rate, weight
loss, depression, and cognitive slowing. Treatment is by medication, the use of
radioactive iodine, thyroid surgery, or reducing the dose of thyroid hormone.
Stress occurs when forces from the outside world impinge on the individual. Stress is a normal part of life. However, over-stress, can be harmful. There is now speculation, as well as some evidence, that points to the abnormal stress responses as being involved in causing various diseases or conditions.
Addison disease is a hormonal (endocrine) disorder involving destruction of the adrenal glands (small glands adjacent to the kidneys). Diseased glands can no longer produce sufficient adrenal hormones (specifically cortisol) necessary for normal daily body functions. Symptoms include weight loss, muscle weakness, fatigue, low blood pressure, and sometimes darkening of the skin. Treatment of Addison disease involves replacing, or substituting, the hormones that the adrenal glands are not making.
Tinea versicolor is a fungus infection that mainly affects the skin of young people. Recognized by light or reddish brown spots, and areas lighter than the surrounding skin. Tinea versicolor is caused by yeast actually found in our skin. Factors like heat, humidity, and sweat help it proliferate in people, resulting in a rash that is not contagious to others.
Pernicious anemia is a blood disorder in which the body does not make enough red blood cells due to a lack of vitamin B12 in the blood. Pernicious anemia can develop from a lack of a protein that helps the body absorb vitamin B12, not getting enough B12 in the diet, and certain intestinal conditions that interfere with the absorption of vitamin B12 such as Crohn's disease, celiac sprue, or ulcerative colitis. There is no cure for pernicious anemia, thus treatment is life-long.
Alopecia areata is a condition that causes hair loss on the scalp and sometimes other parts of the body. It is believed to be caused by an abnormality of the immune system that causes the body's immune system to attack the hair follicles. Typically, hair regrows within a year without treatment. Steroid injections, creams, and shampoos may be used during treatment.
Birthmarks and other abnormal skin pigmentation is caused by the body's inability to produce enough melanin. Abnormal skin pigmentation can cause conditions such as vitiligo, pigmentation loss, melasma, albinism, port wine stains, macular stains and hemangioma.
Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid. Some of the symptoms of Graves' disease include hand tremors, rapid heartbeat, trouble sleeping, enlarged thyroid, thinning of the skin or fine brittle hair. Causes of Graves' disease are thought to be multifactorial such as genes, gender, stress, and infection. Treatment for Graves' disease is generally medication.
Uveitis is inflammation of the eye. Symptoms include blurred vision, eye pain, eye redness, and floating spots before the eyes. Treatment may involve prescription eyedrops, antibiotics, and wearing dark glasses.
Sunburn is caused by overexposure to UV radiation from the sun. UV rays can also damage the eyes. Repeated overexposure to UV rays also increases the risk for scarring, freckles, wrinkles, and dry skin. Symptoms of sunburn include painful, red, tender, and hot skin. The skin may blister, swell, and peel. Sun poisoning (severe sunburn) include nausea, fever, chills, rapid pulse, dizziness and more. Treatment for sunburn depends upon the severity. Sun protection and sunscreen for an individual's skin type is recommended to decrease the chance of sunburn.
Stiff-Person syndrome is a neurological disorder associated with features of an autoimmune disease. Signs and symptoms of Stiff-Person syndrome include a heightened sensitivity to stimuli (noise, touch, emotional distress) and fluctuating muscle rigidity of the trunk and limbs. Conditions associated with Stiff-Person syndrome include thyroiditis, vitiligo, pernicious anemia, and diabetes. Treatment for Stiff-Person syndrome is generally medication to control symptoms.
Parry-Romberg syndrome is a rare disorder that is characterized by a slow progressive atrophy of the skin and soft tissues of half of the face. The facial changes generally begin between the ages of 5 and 15 years. There is no treatment or cure for Parry-Romberg syndrome.
Anemia is a condition in which the body does not have a sufficient number of
red blood cells or hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is present within red blood cells and
is important for carrying oxygen to all tissues of the body. In males,
anemia is
typically defined as hemoglobin level of less than 13.5 gram/100ml, while in
women, a hemoglobin level of less than 12.0 gram/100ml is considered to be
indicative of anemia. These definitions may vary slightly depending on the
source and the laboratory reference used. Pernicious is a term that means
destructive, injurious or deadly.
Pernicious anemia is a disease where large,
immature, nucleated cells (megaloblasts, which are forerunners of red blood
cells) circulate in the blood, and do not function as blood cells; it is a
disease caused by impaired uptake of vitamin B-12 due to the lack of intrinsic
factor (IF) in the gastric mucosa. It was termed "pernicious" because ...
If you think you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.
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I was diagnosed with vitiligo about nine months ago. I started using 100% cocoa butter in the tube, and it helped make the white spots around my eyes and ears less noticeable.
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