Hello!
My name is Luise, and I'm new here. I'm also new to vitiligo.
A few weeks ago, I noticed weird white patches on the skin right under my collarbones. I'm naturally very pale, so they were almost invisible, but I was very worried that they might be something cancerous- in a family of redheads with extremely light skin, you are informed about skin cancer and constantly look out for moles and marks that might be cancerous. So I called my doctor and made an appointment.
Well, good news is that I don't have cancer. I do, however, have vitiligo. I'm very new to this disease and I think I need some tips.
So far, the condition is barely noticeable. As I said, I'm ghostly pale. The white patches are basically only two or three shades lighter than my normal skin tone. Still, I'm worried about how it will look if the patches spread to more visible areas like the face, since being very pale also means that I can't really wear foundation to cover them up. There's simply nothing available in my skin tone except special theatre makeup, which is gross and oily and generally awful.
Does anyone here know if there is any method of predicting whether the patches will spread and how fast they will do so?
I'm also worried about skin cancer. I have multiple relatives with skin cancer, my family is very prone to it due to our pale skin. I also burn extremely easily.
I always (even in winter or when it's cloudy outside, which it is most of the time here in the UK) wear sunscreen with SPF 30 or more on my face, neck, hands, and other exposed areas. I also try to cover up in the sun, meaning that I wear lots of hats and loose-fitting long-sleeved linen shirts in summer. That mostly worked for me before vitiligo. Do I need to take additional measures to protect the vitiligo-affected areas or am I doing enough?
Now, finally, coming back to the whole issue of the condition maybe spreading to my face.
I never really wear foundation because it never fits my skin tone, but should the condition spread, I think it would be a good idea to have something to cover it up a little. Does anyone here know an extremely pale foundation that manages to cover up vitiligo-patches?
Thanks a lot!
Luise
Replies
In terms of spreading, there is practically no way of telling whether it will spread or remain stable unfortunately. Starting any form of treatment as soon as possible is always reccomended. As far as I am aware, there is not a link between vitiligo and skin cancer, however there may be a link between the lack of melanocytes (pigment cells) and exposure to UV radiation (sunlight) over long periods of time which may increase the chances for cancer. It is advisable to wear extra protection over the affected areas such as sun tan lotion.
Hope you find success in your treatment!!!
Pav
I wish it wont spread to any other parts of your body sir .
take the treatment right away rather than procrastinating it further and don't mix too many treatments at a stretch , most of us do if something is not working we immediately switch to other doctor and some new treatment . ( my parents also did when i was a kid and i was least bothered at that age :( ....)
so give it a good shot with one doctor and do maintain your diet and hope all goes well for you , my prayers with you . wish you speedy recovery :)