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My "close
relationship" with vitiligo began in my teens (around 14 years
of age). The knuckles of my hands turned white, which over time
spread to a wider area. It then appeared on my knees, elbows
and feet, and thereon over the years to other areas.
At first I was told by a GP that
it could be a fungal infection but eventually I saw a
dermatologist who diagnosed vitiligo. I was then given a course
of ultra-violet lamp sessions on the affected areas. This was
time-consuming and I had to wear a pair of goggles during the
sessions, which were not at all flattering and which left me
with white panda eyes in an otherwise reddened face. This
treatment did not help at all; in fact it was made worse as the
areas around the white patches just became more tanned.
Eventually I was told there was nothing more that would help and
I just had to get on with life. Around this time I began to
suffer with what was then termed "nerves", which gave me other
things to worry about. My vitiligo did spread but quite
slowly. Each year either my patches grew bigger or a new one
would appear, and I learned to live with it.
After marrying and having two sons
my next close encounter with vitiligo happened when my second
son developed it at age 4. I was horrified because I had been
told it was not hereditary. In my son's case it spread much more
quickly and to most of his body, including his face. He did not
cope with this well at all and wouldn't talk about it. In fact
he is now 36 and still doesn't talk about it. He and his wife
have a beautiful 6-year-old daughter and I must admit I do worry
in case she develops it. I am always on the alert in case there
are any signs. My other older son did not develop it, neither
has his son or daughter, for which I am thankful.
Through the years there have been
times when I have been very self-conscious about my patches,
although I am very much aware that I am lucky in that I am
fairly pale skinned. Through your society I now know that there
are others far worse off then me.
Although vitiligo sufferers are
advised to stay out of the sun, I do enjoy the early morning or
late afternoon sunshine and believe that sun generally makes
people feel happier, if not necessarily healthier. I used to use
lots of high factor sunscreen and still do to a certain extent.
However, for the last few years I have been much more
comfortable with myself and don't bother to try to hide it. It
is particularly helpful if people are genuinely interested and
ask questions. I must admit though that I do rather hate my
feet! In the summer these are totally white, on the end of
fairly tanned legs. Unless I am going outside in the sun for
long periods I now only use one of the new tanning moisturisers
(I use Dove). I find this just takes the edge off the white
patches and as I can't stand the feel of make-up this has been a
real boon for me.
As far as treatment goes I have
never been asked about my patches when seeing a doctor about
something else, so I presume that nothing can be done still. The
only treatment I ever had was the ultra-violet, albeit a long
time ago, and I also did once have instruction by the Red Cross
in the use of cover creams. Although I got an excellent result
with this I found it too time-consuming, and I really don't like
the feel of make-up.
I am now 61 and can honestly say
that I am comfortable with my close encounter with vitiligo. I
certainly would not class it as being a friendly one, but with
the help of the Vitiligo Society and, I suppose being older and
hopefully wiser, I now see it as a part of my unique self. Of
course there are some things I don't like, mostly the worry and
guilt of passing it on through the family.
When I retired from my job I was
excited but slightly worried about my new found freedom. I
decided I wanted “a new lease of life” and I joined a gym. I
also like to go swimming, which is an activity that I would not
have done during my “vitiligo self-conscious” years. Having
given this a lot of thought only recently, I believe that until
there is a medicinal cure for vitiligo (and I have no doubt
there will be) then the way forward would be positive thinking
and self-confidence, provided by good psychological
counselling. I found my new-found confidence myself, gradually
through the years but I believe many people with vitiligo would
greatly benefit from this type of support. |
