Anyone else with vitiligo?

[Stradbroke]

Hello. I was wondering if there are others on here with vitiligo and thought it might be interesting to see how others cope with it and how you cover it (if you do).

I am lucky in that I am quite pale so with a bit of fake tan I can cover it quite well. I have it mostly on my face, around my mouth (like a goatee) and below my ears. In the last couple of years I have also got some on my chest which is really quite noticeable and gets burnt and at the top of my back.

I cover the patches on my face with wash off fake tan which works OK, but during the summer it tends to fade during the day.

I would love to find a fake tan that lasted a little longer, but not had any luck so far.

I have made peace with it mostly, but would love for it not to be there so that I could enjoy the sun without the worry of getting burnt and trying to keep the rest of my skin from tanning too much!

Anyone else out there?

[Destinysdaughter]

I do but it's v mild and I'm quite pale so it's not too noticeable unless I get a bit of a tan. I tend to stay out of the Sun and wear factor 50. I have it on my hands, arm, and on my inner thighs! How did yours start?

[Stradbroke]

I don't know really. I think I had a hyper thyroid after my DD was born and I first noticed it about 6 years ago (DD is 8). Since then I can also not eat gluten without getting bad stomach cramps so not sure if they are linked? I have to admit to never going to the Dr or dermatologist about it. I sort of can't see the point as there is no cure.

[Destinysdaughter]

I agree about not going to the Dr as there's nothing they can do. A few years ago I went to India and had henna tattoos on my hands/wrists. They disguised the vitiligo so beautifully I seriously considered getting them done permanently! Didn't tho.

[MaryLennoxsScowl]

I have a big patch on my neck and under one ear. I put foundation on it in a slightly darker colour than the rest of my face to try to tone it in, and wear sunscreen. I tried to get referred to a dermatologist but the GP sent me a letter saying my request was denied as no treatment is available through the NHS.

[overwroughtowl]

I have one on my chest, been there since I was a child. A friend once noticed me putting sunblock on it on holiday and asked if I did that to make the white patch Ouchy if it gets burned, luckily it's in a spot that's covered bar two weeks of the year.

[dragon99]

I have it over my face a lot and around my mouth, and eyes. I find fake tan wears off during the day too, its really annoying .... I don't like summer as I feel the vitiligo is very noticeable on my face. I user dermablend otherwise but again it tends to come off during the day. I too would love to know of a good fake tan.....

[imsorryiasked]

I'm at the start of this, have just developed a patch by my mouth and seen to have some more coming above my eyebrows.
I am going to the gp just to confirm that's what it is. I have always flushed easily but over the last few years this had got worse and my face is generally bright red. Add to that the dark patches I developed during pregnancy and I'm going to look like a half done painting by numbers
Anyway, on my limited research so far most people seem to recommend dove summer glow tanning moisturiser. Don't think it's going to work in my particular case though.

[Ollivander84]

Me but just on one hand started when I was about 29 and hasn't spread. It's from my lower knuckles up and that's it

[Paintbox]

I have vitiligo, had it for about 20 years. I hate the summer because of it, my hands and arms are completely pigment free and finding a sun cream that isn't sticky or stains clothes is a nightmare. Constantly having to reapply every time I've washed my hands gets me down, and I have to use sunscreen on even mildly bright days. I use st tropez in shower cream or mousse and I find it works well. I would love to emigrate to somewhere cold though. My vitiligo gets worse each year and I'm now pretty much 80% pigment free. I am very pale but I tan very well where I do have pigment so try to avoid the dappled look.