ATOT Vitiligo Thread

[dullard]

For those without it, vitiligo = skin patches without pigment. This often makes the hair in that region perfectly white.

Now that it is summer, and tans make vitiligo 10x more noticible, I thought I'd start a vitiligo thread. I know of at least 3 other Anandtech members with it. Maybe we can band together in this thread and share some experiences.

Me: started noticing it around the age of 10. Random spots of grey hair on my head. Around the age of 20, it moved to my hands. My hands now have 10-20 white spots ranging from ~1 mm to ~20 mm in size. By the age of 25, it spread to anything that is exposed to much rubbing - hands, armpits, inner thighs, etc. At age of 29, it hasn't spread to any new places, but the white spots slowly expand in size.

I broke down and tried Coppertone self-tanner last night on my hands since I got a lot of sun this weekend (even waterproof SPF 45 reapplied every 2 hours wasn't enough to prevent the tan). Results are half good, half bad. The self-tanner is way too orange, and it looks fake. I missed a few spots, and accidently went outside the lines to double tan some already tanned areas. I think I'll try a paint brush next time to apply it.

I once tried to die a white hair patch. Nothing worked, it stayed white.

Anyone else want to share?

 

[rezinn]

I tried this dove lotion that has "subtle" tanners in it and it looked real to everyone. But glopping it on makes it look bad, it has to be rubbed in well.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: rezinn
I tried this dove lotion that has "subtle" tanners in it and it looked real to everyone. But glopping it on makes it look bad, it has to be rubbed in well.

Rub it into all of the areas, or just the whiter areas? What if it touches darker areas?

 

[SirStev0]

try a better quality self tanner ... supre, hempz, california tans...

 

[rezinn]

Well, it takes a few days to do anything so it won't be bad if you accidentally get it on the darker areas a little bit as long as focus on the whiter areas. If you didn't have much of a tan you could just run it all over I guess

 

[quikah]

I have it too.

I have large patches on my arms/hand, bit on my face, legs and some unmentionable places (makes for some awkward conversation with the ladies).

I have tried a self tanner but it didn't seem to do anything. I might try another brand sometime, but really I am not bothered by it at all anymore, sometimes people ask me about it, I just tell them what it is and they drop it, people generally don't care once you explain it to them. I never explored any of the treatments that are out there.

 

[eshtog]

Originally posted by: quikah
I have it too.

I have large patches on my arms/hand, bit on my face, legs and some unmentionable places (makes for some awkward conversation with the ladies).

I have tried a self tanner but it didn't seem to do anything. I might try another brand sometime, but really I am not bothered by it at all anymore, sometimes people ask me about it, I just tell them what it is and they drop it, people generally don't care once you explain it to them. I never explored any of the treatments that are out there.

I also have it in the same areas as you , like you said people will ask about it every once in a while, but you tell them what it is and they dont care anymore. My friends say they dont even notice it annymore. I guess it also helps that I am caucasian, it would kinda suck if I had very dark skin.