The Outlook on Vitiligo

Now that we have a better idea of how vitiligo occurs, we can develop better treatments to address this process.

I’ve gone through a lot of personal growth since I was a kid. Now I feel perfect in my skin and have nothing to hide. It’s liberating.

[I]f someone tells you there are no options, get a second opinion. Keep searching until you find a doctor you connect with. If possible, see someone well-known in the vitiligo space.

When you have vitiligo, it’s easy to feel like you’re the only person in the world living with the disease. But you’re not. There’s a whole village of us out there.

Something a child said helped me start to shift my perspective. I was working at a camp and this little girl told me that I was a butterfly. She identified my spots as a butterfly, as something beautiful.

We know that vitiligo doesn’t harm our bodies, but it can do harm psychologically. My hope is that people will find whatever works for them…to help them step outside the front door.

I think it’s important for me to educate my patients with vitiligo, especially children, so they can explain what vitiligo is to other people, such as on the playground or in school.