Vitiligo article in Daily Mail with positive MJ references

[reveron1958]

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

Nice to see them admit in a UK newspaper that Michael had vitiligo instead of saying he bleached his skin. :abouttime:

[Australian MJ BeLIEver]

thank you for posting this link. i suffer with vitiligo and my patches are in the exact same areas of my face, as the lady in the article. around my eyes, under my nose and my chin. i also have patches on my hands and inner thigh.

vitiligo has been a source of depression for me and has chipped away slowly (as it spreads) at my self esteem and confidence. i was in denial for several months and am only now coming to terms with it and dealing with the fact that unlike a rash this is not going to go away, or fade but in fact probably will get worse and more noticable.

i am olive skinned and the vitiligo has been torturous for me as it has changed the way i look. i can't imagine what it would be like for someone darker skinned, where is is even more noticable. my heart goes out to michael and all other vitiligo sufferers.

i have just started tacrilimus treatment. very expensive and am having skin burning side affects. if anyone here is a sufferer of vitiligo, please PM me, i'd love to chat. (especially if you are being treated for it, am VERY KEEN to talk to you)

it is an auto immune disease, it is genetic and there is no cure. mine started by high anxiety. (was in a stressful job working with refugees) i have always had the recessive vitiligo gene, but it was the anxiety that triggered it or unlocked the gene which made ignited the depigmentation of the skin...

therefore the article is correct when it says that anxiety is a known trigger. i can vouch for that personally!


sorry and hope this post of mine isnt too personal.

[hesouttamylife]

When the Daily news starts being sensitive to Michael's Jackson we know something is in our midst.  Aussie, I understand vitiligo very well.  My uncle suffered from it back in the day, during a time when people didn't know much about it.  He had to deal with children screaming and calling him a monster without the parents stopping them.  He was a very quiet, caring, sensitive man.  I cannot even preted to imagine the magnitutude of emotional anguish he surely suffered as a result of it.  He never married.

[wishingstar]

Wow...this is a really interesting article.  I wasn't aware that stress was a factor like this.  Thank you for posting it reveron1958....much appreciated!

@Australian MJ.........thank you for sharing a part of your heart with us here.  It really helps me understand more about this disease.  I will keep you close in thought and prayer.  You are a strong woman and I know you will overcome this torturous illness.  The stress you felt with helping those people, is an amazing testament to your person...thank you for being you.  For what it's worth, I have always thought the pictures you post of yourself are really beautiful......you are beautiful and such a blessing! 

Blessings Always

[Australian MJ BeLIEver]

Nice to see them admit in a UK newspaper that Michael had vitiligo instead of saying he bleached his skin.

there would have been an element of skin bleaching with MJ, probably via oral medication and bleaching creams. when vitiligo spreads to 50% of the face, your goal moves from covering the white patches in an attempt to blend them with your skin, to the goal of matching the pigmented skin to match the white patches. the medications have side affects which is why a doctor will prescribe them depending on your orignal skin colour, severity of vitiligo and psycological need, but only once 50% of your face has lost pigment. as you can imagine, ver demoralising.

i have to wait another year to see how much of my face is covered. this might be an option for me down the track. for now, i focus on make up (lots of it, which is why you cant tell from my avatar pics) and covering the white.


@ wishy & hesouttamylife - thanks for your supportive comments. very touching. thank you.

[MaryK]

Thank you Aussie for sharing your "story" and feelings here!
I too will keep you close in thought and prayer.

 :bearhug:

I suffer from a skin condition called Rosacea. It´s hereditary and my father has it. Usually the disease won´t break out before the age of around 50 but I have it since I am 21 years old.
It has a very painful negative effect on my everyday life and I too know about heavy makeup.
Without it I would (and could) never go out into public. 
I have only bad and painful experiences from days when I tried to go out without makeup. People can be so rude!

[Australian MJ BeLIEver]

WARNING - Personal POST - Contains PHOTOS

@ MaryK - Thank you for sharing your personal story with us about your skin condition. I thought i had already replied to this thread and realised I had not. Sorry about that, it wasnt intentional, must have got side tracked by my daughter and left my computer or something.

is your skin condition painful? Obviously mine, (vitiligo) is not painful, but it has been an emotional journey for me as i have always had terrific skin. 18 months ago this changed and is getting worse as each day passes. i have just developed new patches on my eye brows, lips and wrist.

here are a few pictures.

this pic was taken about 2 months ago. since then i have developed two more patches. I have a patch on my thumb, hand, middle finger, ring finger as pictured, and two new ones on my wrist.



i then have a patch under my left eye. its now bigger than what is shown in this picture.



i have an oval shaped patch on the other side of my face, it is the size of an egg. its gross!







below is a picture of me in thailand with no make up on. the white patches go very red in the sun. then the next day go back to white. i try to not tan so my skin can stay light. the darker i am, the more the white part pops out as it has no colour. this is why i can imagine how difficult it is for people with darker skin. the more i tan, the harder it is to conceal. i love the sun, but now i sunscreen every day and try and keep out so my skin can stay light.



you see that there are two slight patches on the corner of my smile, since i took this photo the are now larger and are joining up with the patch under my nose.


3 weeks ago, when i first posted in this thread, i mentioned i am starting a new expensive tacrolimus treatment. i have been on it three weeks and it hasnt done a thing. its incredibly demoralising..

i also have a huge patch the size of a deck of cards on my inner thigh.

i feel so ugly and always wear make up or photoshop my photos so people cant tell. that's why people here say nice things about my photos, and say they cant notice the vitiglio, it's becuase i disguise it as best as i can.

i take comfort in knowing that although my skin is a cause of depression for me i am lucky to be other wise healthy and have two arms and two legs, as there are many who suffer worse things across the world.

[Australian MJ BeLIEver]

forgot to add, something that kills me is that my 2 year old daughter as just started getting light spots too.

dermatologist says i have always had the vitiligo gene but stress has induced the break out and made the gene active. they think that three years ago when i was pregnant this is when it started becoming active. they think i have passed it to my daughter genetically and the time it was coming out of its dormant state in me was the same time my body was developing a fetus. so her body is developing while she has active vitiligo gene, unlike mine which was dormant for 30 years. i developed mine at 30, she is developing hers at 2. so we are developing it together even though there is 30 years age difference and the onset of vitiligo is usually in your 30's

this is worrying for me for her sake. i want her to be happy and not feel how i feel about my skin. but other than that she is healthy and happy. and i value that so much.

[~Souza~]

Aussie, it doesn't look gross at all, you look gorgeous and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise!

There is light therapy here in the Netherlands. Remind me later to look up the article for you. It said 93% of the patients regained most if not all of their pigment. I'm going to forget to search for it, my head's a mess, so don't forget to remind me if you're interested. I don't know though how accurate it is and if it really helped long term.

[sandythyme]

Aussie, you are beautiful and I know your daughter is beautiful as she is a part of you.  I understand what you are saying and going through only because of my own "issues" in life.  Remember one thing, you look your most beautiful when you smile.  So smile and be happy  if you are happy, your daughter will feel your happy energy and be happy too.  I am finding when we smile, many people don't even see our imperfections, only our happy energy and that draws people to us.  :bearhug:

[shamz]

"An estimated 45 million people worldwide suffer vitiligo; at least one in 100 British adults is affected.
Emma had to use 'heavy-duty prescription camouflage make-up' on her faceve to using heavy-duty prescription camouflage make-up on my face,' said Emma

Emma had to use 'heavy-duty prescription camouflage make-up' on her face

It affects white skins as much as black and Asian ones, and men as much as women, with the average age of onset just 20 years old.

The condition led the popstar Michael Jackson into the life of a recluse.

He ventured out only under heavy layers of thick white make-up, or wearing masks to protect his fragile pale skin from the agony of sunburn.

With no pigment, skin is extremely susceptible to burning."

ABOUT BLOODY TIME THAT A TABLOID MENTIONS MJ HAD VITILIGO yet interesting at the same time :icon_rolleyes:

[Australian MJ BeLIEver]

@souza and sandythyme - thank you for the compliments. i appreciate them, very touching.

the only person that tells me i'm gross / ugly with the vitiligo is me unfortunately. because i was only diagnosed less than a year ago, i am still coming to terms with it.

cant believe how fast its spreading! every time i look at a photo of me taken for vitiligo purposes and compare it with now, it seems to have spread more...

thats enough about me though. it's something that is not going anywhere and something i need to learn to accept... in time. hopefully i will.


thanks for your support all. :bearhug:

[paula-c]

@souza and sandythyme - thank you for the compliments. i appreciate them, very touching.

the only person that tells me i'm gross / ugly with the vitiligo is me unfortunately. because i was only diagnosed less than a year ago, i am still coming to terms with it.

cant believe how fast its spreading! every time i look at a photo of me taken for vitiligo purposes and compare it with now, it seems to have spread more...

thats enough about me though. it's something that is not going anywhere and something i need to learn to accept... in time. hopefully i will.


thanks for your support all. :bearhug:

I see beautiful, the disease does not change that :icon_razz: :bearhug:

[sweetsunsetwithMJ]

@Aussie...YOU ARE REALLY BEAUTIFUL!!

[everlastinglove_MJ]

@Aussie, you're beautiful inside & out      :bearhug: