I was stopped at the bank the other morning, by a woman who wanted to quietly ask me about my skin condition, which is known as vitiligo. For you who are not familiar with this condition, it is an "autoimmune condition" in which I am losing pigmentation in my skin. It has caused "white" patches, which are not as obvious in the winter, but more in the summer. This is because the "white" patches obviously do not tan, and the other areas do. I have large patches on my neck and shoulders that tan, and also large patches that are white, and so the obvious contrast.
Vitiligo does not hurt, does not itch, is not contagious, is not life-threatening. It can start at any age. Mine started when I was in my 40s. There is a "cure" of sorts, in which a person takes a drug, and also is exposed to ultraviolet light. This is done under a doctor's care, and is supposed to work well with children who have this condition, but not so much for adults. The cost, at the time I looked into it, was about $400 a month, and I figured I'd just live with the condition.
This IS the condition which Michael jackson was said to have. If he bleached his skin, it would probably have been so he was all one color. Obviously a dark-skinned person would be much more obvious than a light- skinned person. I have some discoloration on my face and so have been using concealers, and rather high SPF sunblock so my face does not get large patches of distinct coloration.
Does it go away? I've read some reports where people have gained their coloration back, and I believe I've gained some back on my hands and arms. One of the possible reasons for this condition is stress. Since I've been unemployed, my stress level has probably gone down (no job-related stress) but it's also stressful looking for a job. That's another story...
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