Everyone who has vitiligo knows that it is a chronic disorder that even with treatment can keep coming back. I've done my fair share of treatments for this and to no avail, ive had it for 7 years and in the past couple of months it has spread badly mostly on my face, i would say that about 40 percent of my face is affected but not much in other areas which makes it even more distressing to me. Things like creams, lasers, and other treatments might keep it at bay for a while but for the most part it just comes back, It might take months or even years but for most people it comes back because it never really goes away. Which brings me to depigmentation, this is something i have thought about for years now, its not something that just randomly popped into my head one day, ive spent many nights just thinking if this is right for me and i have come to the conclusion that it is, everyone has different ways of dealing with this, some are fine with it and some are not, unfortunately for me i am not fine with it, the patchiness of my skin does nothing but distress me, it has completely killed my self esteem, i dont go out without make up, i cant even answer the door without makeup- thats how ridiculous this is. I thought after a couple of years i would eventually come to terms with this but ive realized that i haven't and i never will. Vitiligo for the most part is progressive, even when treated doctors and derms know that its likely going to come back so why are they so hesitant to recommend depigmentation? I dont want to have to wait until 30-50% of my body is affected because from the looks of it, thats not gonna happen anytime soon but most of my face is affected- to the point where i cant even look at myself in the mirror because its distressing and it causes me anxiety and panic. This brings me to a question, would it be possible for me to get the help of my psychiatrist to get a dermatologist to help me depigment my skin?, ive been seeing this psychiatrist for many years and even though most of my body is not affected, most of my face is and thats causing me a lot of distress, by the way all the repigmenting treatments have never helped either- all the patches on my face have just gotten bigger over time. I know for complete certainty that depigmentation is what i really want, and i know it will help me completely feel better mentally and physically. If most of my face is afflicted with vitiligo but most of my body is not, can i still get consent for depigmentation? In my opinion im just prolonging the inevitable by doing nothing. Please i really need opinions on this.
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I know that you are only looking for suggestions on depigmentation, and I can't really help you because I know nothing about it. But if you don't mind me asking, have you tried treating your vitiligo from the inside? Surprisingly, the face is the easiest to repigment - the hands and feet are the hardest.
Just in case you don't have any success with getting the okay from your doctor, don't lose hope. Vitiligo is reversible. It does take time and a lot of determination, but it can most definitely can be done.
I second that Tawny!! Hi Gabby. I am no expert but my heart breaks for you. I hope you soon find your joy again. I ran in to an old friend this week who has also developed Vitiligo. Come to find we were both diagnosed in September of 2011 but she has it much worse now. She has tried creams and I have not. Instead I did research and began taking supplements/change my diet. I find that to be promising in the path I am taking. At one point this year I became discouraged and stopped my gluten free diet, and immediately two spots appeared on my arm. It is worth a try. Good Luck to you.
Gaby,
I think there are mental health people that specialize in body image stuff. You might want to ask about that. There might even be ones you can find that have experience with vitiligo patients. I think that would be a good place to start. They can probably then help you with this decision and what to do next.