Posted by Sean Peters on January 30, 2014 at 10:04am in Main
Hi, i'm new to the site. I just wanted to know if there's anybody with vitiligo who's experienced any sort of pain, physically, not emotionally. Personally, I've found that the only pain associated with vitiligo comes from the intense sunburns you can easily get in depigmented areas. I'm in Northern California, so during summer it can be especially harsh.
I also just wanted a general sort of discussion, mostly about people's refusal of treatment.
I've had vitiligo since I was about seven, my parents sought numerous treatments for me, and the best doctors that money can buy in our area. I don't want to sound ungrateful to my parents, but after a while I was fed up with it. I stopped seeking any sort of medical intervention when I was 12, and I've never sought it again. I believe that was the best choice for me. Sometimes I completely forget that I have a vitiligo, that's probably due to the amazing friends that I have who know me for me.
Even though my skin isn't always at the forefront of my mind, I've realized over
the years just how much it's affected my personality in public. I really hate going to large shopping centers, or just being out and about. The holiday times are particularly bad because it just seems like there's more people. With that, as most of you know, comes stares, whispering, and the occasional rude comment.
One night last month, I was with my friends at a bar, and it was packed because of a football game. As I walked past a group of people to get a beer, apparently some guy said something kind of rude about my skin. He made some sort of offhand reference to face paint, and being a football fan. I personally did not even hear this guy. It was only after he came to our booth and apologized profusely in front of all my friends that I realized what he had said. I was not offended in the least, and he kept offering to buy me a beer to make up for it, but I politely refused.
As far as encounters go, that was one of the least offensive I've ever had. There are some very shallow people out there, and people with no social filter that are incredibly rude. I either ignore these people, or try to be polite. There was only one time where I almost got physically angry and that was because.. I don't know.
Anyways, I've rambled on for quite a bit. If you even read this far, thank you. As I said in the beginning I just want a general thread about vitiligo and possibly your experiences. Most of the forums I see here are about seeking different treatment. Which is also why want to know how much pain physically people can experience with this.
My biggest question, is why. Why do you seek treatment? Am I just fortunate enough to not have much physical pain? I wouldn't say that I am perfectly comfortable with my vitiligo, but I don't need treatment. I don't want to waste my time with it. I wouldn't say that I'm a particularly strong person, but I don't see my skin as flawed, I don't see it as something that needs to be set "normal". So why do you out there seek it?
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I seeked treatment for it in the beginning stages, when i was about 16 yrs old. It was very distressing for me as it started on my face, when it started spreading more it began in noticeable areas like my hands, fingers and wrists- and of course more on my face. In the past several years it spread and there was not a day that went by that I didn't think about it, it was incredibly upsetting and I spent the rest of my teenage years being extremely depressed. That's my personal reason for treatment, I tried lasers, creams, change in diet, etc.. but nothing worked for me so I quit.Currently im undergoing depigmentation and I could not be happier with it. I feel like a different person, not because my skin changed but because I feel like this burden has been slowly lifting away as my skin becomes more even and pale. It isn't a burden to everyone, not everyone hates it, but not everyone handles it the same, what might not be a big deal to one person, can be a very crushing experience to someone else. i at first wanted to regain my color, but I finally accepted that it was probably never going to happen so i went to the next best thing, most people don't want depigmentation and that's okay, I personally think it's fitting for me and it looks natural- but of course not everyone feels that way about their vitiligo. I chose treatment because I don;t want to deal with stares, I don't want to deal with makeup or having low self esteem because of it, this is what makes me happy.
Replies
I seeked treatment for it in the beginning stages, when i was about 16 yrs old. It was very distressing for me as it started on my face, when it started spreading more it began in noticeable areas like my hands, fingers and wrists- and of course more on my face. In the past several years it spread and there was not a day that went by that I didn't think about it, it was incredibly upsetting and I spent the rest of my teenage years being extremely depressed. That's my personal reason for treatment, I tried lasers, creams, change in diet, etc.. but nothing worked for me so I quit.Currently im undergoing depigmentation and I could not be happier with it. I feel like a different person, not because my skin changed but because I feel like this burden has been slowly lifting away as my skin becomes more even and pale. It isn't a burden to everyone, not everyone hates it, but not everyone handles it the same, what might not be a big deal to one person, can be a very crushing experience to someone else. i at first wanted to regain my color, but I finally accepted that it was probably never going to happen so i went to the next best thing, most people don't want depigmentation and that's okay, I personally think it's fitting for me and it looks natural- but of course not everyone feels that way about their vitiligo. I chose treatment because I don;t want to deal with stares, I don't want to deal with makeup or having low self esteem because of it, this is what makes me happy.