How vitiligo spreads – Me age 17 and 34… can you tell the difference?

The white skin that appears just as a small dot on my chest at 17. It’s Vitiligo and my body is increasingly covered it the white patches, including my face. Thankfully, it’s cosmetic as a condition resulting from my immune system effectively killing the pigmentation. However, the mental implications are far deeper.

I still recall the first spot appearing on my chest. I was 13. An age when nasty teenagers can be cruel about the slightest ‘off looking’ trait. I recall trying to process the implications, would it spread, when, how much?

Few realise how dealing with vitiligo somehow never ends. You get your head around it, you accept it, you learn to love your skin. But then the line in the sand you’ve accepted moves. A new patch, a new area of the body, it appears on your belly, legs, and worst of all…face. Each time you mentally reprocess it. Even now at 34 I still have my moments & that’s okay.

I’ve learned to manage my skin. Sun protection to stop it burning, & I choose to camouflage my face with Zanderm, specially designed to camouflage vitiligo, to put a warm glow back into my paper white facial skin. [see how I camouflage my face here]

It’s a daily game of cover up. Yes, I could go natural like my body but honestly, I’m happy dealing with it how I do. It’s ok to cover it or go natural. It’s about finding what gives you the most confidence to love yourself. For me this is it.

I love my skin.

I’m vitiligo proud!

Vanessa

MY REQUEST  Let’s all remember that battles aren’t always just skin deep. Please share and help raise awareness for all those little ones growing up in the world. Together we can make a place where our differences don’t matter. We’re all beautiful in our own ways.

Use VR10 for 10% Zanderm.com – this is not a commission link, just a brand I love.

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, LinkedIn and YouTube, and www.thegirlonabike.com.