Living with Vitiligo -learn to love your body

It doesn’t’ hurt and it isn’t contagious. It is just white. With lock-down meaning I’m not covered head to toe in motorcycle armour…I’m getting asked about my white skin…

It’s vitiligo. I’m living with Vitiligo and that is okay.

I remember some horrible encounters growing up with kids saying nasty things. Children can be so cruel, but over the years I’ve learned to love my skin and also realise that most comments only come because of a lack of understanding. That is partly why I’m determined not to hide living with vitiligo, if by showing my vulnerability I can help spread awareness of vitiligo then maybe it will help others learning to accept their patches.

I did a post last year braving a bikini and talking about my skin and you’ll see that I have patches all over my body [click here to see it – 6^th Oct 2019]. My vitiligo is all over my face, hands, chest, back, legs. It is everywhere!

Vitiligo is a hereditary skin condition that causes your immune system to work against itself and kill the pigmentation of the skin. Causing white patches. That is it. Skin with no pigment and so white in appearance, and purely cosmetic. Unlike many skin conditions vitiligo thankfully has no negative effects other than a higher risk of skin damage from the sun due to having no melanin. At 13 a got my first patch and ever since it has spread across my body. [see British Skin Foundation for more]

If you’re a mummy or daddy, or grandparent, sister or brother, please show this to the younger generations in your family and explain to them what vitiligo is. Understanding will help so many others with vitiligo who have not yet found the strength to stand tall with their skin.

Remember, some battles go more than skin deep and words really can hurt.

Love the skin that you are in and please share this message to help those learning to live with Vitiligo

Something that has really helped me with coping with my skin is being more conscious about how I feel. It’s a practice that stems from some pretty deep psychological therapies but can be applied to many other elements in life. DBT, developed by Marsha Linehan. It works by teaching people to be conscious about our behaviors, recognizing our triggers and how the events leading up to the behavior before making a conscious decision which coping method is best to apply. With vitiligo it’s easy to slip into a self-hate. To stare at the mirror and be appalled. Standing beating myself up mentally, crying about my skin. A downward spiral of sadness. This for me was the start of a trigger of emotions. With conscious thought I’m now able to catch myself before my mind flies off into a spiral. I can actively pull myself way and remind myself that our differences are beautiful. That I am unique and my skin is part of me.

Please feel free to get in touch via my social channels and ask any questions and for more on me see here.

To learn more about how I camouflage my face please see my camouflage article here. I also recommend taking U Perform Active Collagen to support a smoother, healthier skin complexion. More information here and get 10% off.

If you’re new to my page – it’s more than just dirt bike riding and racing, I’m on a mission to prove that nothing is impossible if you want it bad enough. See more about my story plus read about my life changing accident, which started it all.

You can find me Vanessa, The Girl On A Bike over on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.