An Interesting Quote...

I was in the process of reading a book on Vitiligo that I plan on reviewing in a later blog post; and in the middle of the book, I found a quote from the author, Lee Thomas, that really jumped out at me as summing up the way I view Vitiligo now as opposed to when I first got it.

"The first speck freaked me out--- someone actually tried to wipe it off! You think the face is the definition of self, but I've formed a clearer picture. Now, I wear the mask of a superhero" [1]

When I happened across this quote, torn from the middle of a novel by Lee Thomas called Turning White: A Memoir Of Change, it immediately jumped out at me and I knew I had to share it with you guys. I don't think Lee could have summed up my feelings any better than he did here, because it's a feeling of comfortability that just happens. You'll know it when it does, because everything snaps into place, and you become comfortable with yourself. You begin to view Vitiligo as something that sets you apart from the masses in a positive way. Granted this may happen earlier on for some rather than others, especially depending on the seriousness of your individual case, but when it does you will feel so many days of self-consciousness quickly dissipate into history.

I hope this little post helps you out in some way, because I feel the gravity of that quote is very large, especially to those of us who have experienced the tougher times with Vitiligo. If you are feeling stressed out, alone, or are just looking for a good read, I suggest this book, Turning White: A Memoir Of Change. I just finished it, and can honestly say that it offers a lot of positive vibes. 

Works Cited

[1] "Turning White: A Memoir Of Change"Thomas, Lee. Published 2007. Read 4-3-2011

Treatment Review: Recouleur

Disclaimer:

Before you read, be sure to remember that this remedy is not a guaranteed cure, because Vitiligo is currently incurable. And while this product has a history of positive results, even the website says that "because people are different, this may not happen for everyone". [1]

For my entry this week, I've decided to review a Vitiligo treatment I've used for some time now. It is a dietary supplement that contains "a patented formula of vitamins and minerals helpful for vitiligo" and sells for $89.95 on http://www.recouleur.com/recouleur-vitamins.asp. [1] 

(I took these photos myself and photoshopped them together)

Why this treatment?

My parents and I originally bought this on a whim, as the result of several good reviews and a period of frantic searching for makeshift cures. The impulsive buy turned out for the better though, since this stuff definitely worked for me. After several months of taking one pill a day, I noticed that spots were disappearing. I was literally able to watch, day by day, as pigment appeared in the center of certain spots and gradually spread to the outer borders. Now obviously not all my spots filled in completely, but a lot of the little ones began to fill back in, and that alone was a huge morale booster.

What is it?
Recouleur is a multivitamin that contains "Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, Zinc, Vitamin C, Pantothenic Acid, and Copper", a concoction that is patented to aid patients with Vitiligo. [1] It is taken in pill form, once or twice a day depending on how strong of a dose you want, and after a few months time results should begin to show themselves.





Pros

1. Very easy to use, simple maintenance.
2. When it works, it really works.
3. Helpful site, lots of support, it is a reliable treatment from a reliable source.
4. You can choose your dosage, (within reason), if you want to take two in order to up the effects, you can.
5. No known side-effects.

Cons

1. While it works well, it is an expensive investment at $89.95 a bottle.
2. It does not work for everyone, which in reality is kind of a given with diseases where there is no real cure, everybody sees different results.
3. If you stop, you can potentially lose the progress you've made.

Overall

Before we go on, it should be known that I have a bias since I use this product, but I've done my best to keep the review straightforward so far. This being said, I will say that I believe everyone with Vitiligo or a similar pigment condition should give this product a try. Buy a bottle or two and use them until they are empty, depending on the results you get, you can gauge whether or not you'd like to proceed with this product. The only overwhelming con to this product is that it doesn't work for everyone, but the only way you're going to figure that out is if you try it. While a $90 price tag is a bit steep, it is well worth paying at least once because who knows, it may be your miracle cure.

Works Cited

[1] http://www.recouleur.com/ Supernatural Health 2011. Date of access: 3/27/2011

How To Avoid Serious Sunburns During The Summer

Summer is an awesome time of the year, a brief repose from the likes of schoolwork and business, for kids at least. Either way, it can be a bit of a chore for those of us with Vitiligo because it is really easy to burn your depigmented spots in the hot summer sun. So I've prepared a set of tips and tricks to help you get the most out of the summer months while avoiding severe burns and increased risk of skin cancer.

Surviving Summer 101

Tip #1: Don't Underestimate Sunscreen

The first and most important thing to remember about keeping your skin safe during the summer season is to always use sunscreen, whenever you go outside carry it with you at all times. I feel like the easiest way to do this is to go to the store and buy a bunch of travel size sunscreen bottles, and make sure they have a high SPF, I typically choose 50 or 75. Put these bottles everywhere, to the point where it is nearly impossible to not have one on hand. I keep one in my car, my backpack, my swimsuit pocket, and sometimes in my pants pocket. If you're a girl, I'd highly suggest keeping one in your purse. Once you have these set up to your liking, the key is to use them as often as possible and reapply them every 2-3 hours. If you're like me and hate the feel/smell of sunscreen, I understand how it feels but doing it is well worth saving your skin in the long run. 

Tip #2: Don't Be Afraid To Take Breaks

While it is inevitable that you will spend lots of time outside in the summer sun, and believe me there is nothing wrong with this, you need to understand that regardless of sunscreen, prolonged exposure to the sun can be very damaging to affected spots of skin. So never be afraid to take a break and go inside for a while or spend some time in the shade, because the more often you allow your spots to recover from the sun the better. You should also seize these opportunities to reapply sunscreen as needed.

Tip #3: The More Clothing The Better

Now I understand that summer can be hot, I mean really hot, so the urge to wear shorts and a tank top is not without reason, but little changes in wardrobe can make a lot of difference. If you can stand it, wearing jeans pretty much eliminates all the worry for spots on your legs. Unless you apply lots of sunscreen to your shoulders, I would not recommend wearing anything more revealing than a t-shirt, but also don't go crazy and overheat yourself with something like a long sleeve shirt. The secret to skin safety is really about knowing yourself and applying this knowledge in the form of my last tip, listed below.

Tip #4: Be Aware

Regulate yourself as you see fit, don't do anything that is going to make you uncomfortable during the joyous days of summer. You've got to know that the more exposed your skin is, the more attention it will require in order to not get hurt. It is a matter of noticing when spots are getting pink, and knowing that it is a good time to take a break when this occurs. You've got to be aware of your body to be on top of countermeasures.

Interview with a Layperson

This is an interview that I conducted with a good friend of mine named Scott Easum. He is a Software Engineering Major and Sophomore here at UTD. I conducted this interview in his apartment living room on March 24, 2011.

(Photo used courtesy of Scott Easum)

GM: Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Scott.

SE: No problem, dude.

GM: Without further ado, let's get into this thing...

GM: Essentially, if I were to ask you what Vitiligo was, would you have any idea what I was talking about?

SE: Only because I know you. So no.

GM: Okay, so then you know that it's the spots on my skin right?

SE: Correct.

GM: What if I told you it was an auto-immune disease, where the pigment pretty much attacks itself, have you ever heard of anything like that before?

SE: Like AIDS?

GM:Yeah, like AIDS in the way that  your body is unknowingly hurting itself and there is no known cure, but nowhere near as severe. You can't die from Vitiligo.

SE: Is it transmittable?

GM: No, I don't thinks so. I'm pretty sure it's only hereditary.

SE: So wait then do your parents have it?

GM: No. I'm almost positive I'm like the only person in my family that has the disease. (laughs) Who's interviewing who here?

SE: (laughs) Sorry.

GM: No, it's alright.

GM: Have you ever seen anyone else besides me with this disease?

SE: Not where I knew it was a disease. I knew that they had spots on their skin.

GM: Okay. Well, then before you met me, did you know about this disease at all?

SE: Only for albinos.

GM: So you'd never heard of it through someone like Michael Jackson?

SE: I didn't know he had a disease, I thought he just did plastic surgery.

GM: Well the running thing is apparently he dyed himself white because he had Vitiligo.

GM: Well anyway, I'll cap this off with one more question and I'll let you go.

SE: Okay.

GM: Do you have any strange diseases or things that people don't normally have?

SE: I used to be allergic to like everything, including yeast. I couldn't eat at least 50 different foods.

GM: Really?

SE: Yeah. I also used to have chronic bronchitis.

GM: Okay, well that's all the questions I have for you, so thanks again for your time. And unless you've got any questions for me I figure we'll wrap things up.

Vitiligo in the news...

As far as I can tell from my research, Vitiligo does not get significant press coverage, but there is a collection of articles and entries on the New York Times website that focus on the disease. But I did find one:

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/03/health/personal-health-new-approach-to-a-discoloring-skin-disorder.html

While it is 10 years old, it is the most recent article I could dig up, and it still contains some very helpful information that I didn't know until now.

 The Ups and Downs of the Disease

This article written by Jane E. Brody details Vitiligo and the way it affects the social lives of both a woman, Loretta, and a teenager, April, who have the disease. Both of these women open up about the harassment they have endured because of their affliction and in April's case, how it has helped her grow and learn about herself and other people. While April experiences the harshness of schoolyard teasing, she also found a way to use her disposition as a way to teach others by making "cards to hand to the curious, in which she states that she is not contagious". [1]

Brody continues on to cover the basics of the disease and why it faces so much adversity from medical professionals who refuse to acknowledge it as a serious disease. She states that many She lets readers in on a list of facts about Vitiligo that many do not know, some of which are:

"Up to 30% of women with Vitiligo develop Thyroid disease".

"Vitiligo patients also have an increased risk of developing diabetes, pernicious anemia, as well as Addison's disease, an adrenal disorder".

"People with Vitiligo must protect their skin from exposure to the sun. Affected areas of skin can become seriously sunburned while the surrounding skin tans'. She also advises that those affected "be vigilant about wearing sunscreen with a high sun protection factor (30 or higher) on exposed skin year-round".

"Many insurers consider Vitiligo a cosmetic issue and do not cover treatment costs".

All of the above were quoted from source [1].

Potential Cures  

On the second page of the article, Brody goes more in-depth about various treatments that seem to have a higher success rate than others, but mainly focuses on a form of light therapy called PUVA. In this treatment, patients take a drug called psoralen that causes their skin to become more sensitive to light. Once this has happened, doctors expose affected spots to a special lamp that only shows ultraviolet A. While this treatment apparently has great results on the face and upper extremities, it does not work well on feet and hands. It also can be bad for you if done in excess, so extensive treatment can cause freckling as well as increase the risk for skin cancer. Researchers from Henry Ford hospital turned up some promising results in similar experimental light therapies that have successfully repigmented over 75% of two darker skinned african-american men. This, along with a synthetic enzyme called pseudocatalase that works similar to the PUVA treatments, means that scientists are slowly narowing their sights onto a true cure for Vitiligo.

Works Cited

[1] Brody, Jane E. "Personal Health; New Approach to a Discoloring Skin Disorder" July 3, 2001 Date of access: 3/26/2011

A Brief Description and History of Vitiligo

In my last post, I gave a short introduction to who I am and why I am writing this blog, as well as a look into what I am going to cover in the posts that lay ahead. What I did not do was give any background information on the disease or its history, but that is where this post comes in to play. In the following two paragraphs I will briefly detail what scientists believe causes Vitiligo and Vitiligo's historical significance so far.

The Disease

Vitiligo is an auto-immune disease of the skin where "melanocytes (the cells that make pigment) in the skin are destroyed". "Proteins called cytokines" are the ones that "alter pigment-producing cells and cause these cells to die". This is the cause of the white skin discolorations that occur randomly on the body. It should be noted from my own experience and from the Vitiligo Article on medicinenet.com, that hair growing in these spots can sometimes be a white or blonde color. Vitiligo affects ".5 to 1 percent of the world's population, or as many as 65 million people" and "1 to 2 million" of that is in the United States alone. While doctors and researchers do not know exactly how the disease is acquired, "there is strong evidence that people with Vitiligo inherit a group of three genes that make them susceptible to depigmentation". All information quoted here was taken from medicinenet.com or source [1].

History

According to the History of Vitiligo page on www.vitiligoguide.com, evidence of this disease dates back to as early as 2200 BC. The page also says that the disease "has long been confused with leprosy" and the name Vitiligo is "derived from the Latin word 'vitelius' which means calf". [3] While Vitiligo certainly hasn't been dormant for all the years between then and now, it wasn't really reported on heavily until the 90's when it saw excessive media coverage due to Michael Jackson and Amitabh Bachan becoming affected. [3] But according to the article "Vitiligo in history: Henry Moss" on vitiligocover.com, a man named Henry Moss was a subject of much attention during the 18th and 19th century. Born in Virginia, Henry Moss was an African American man who had an onset of vitiligo at the age of 38. While it started on his hands, it eventually spread to cover most of his body and Moss decided to take advantage of his strange predicament. "He exhibited his body for a fee in taverns in the Philadelphia area as well as before the American Philosophical Society." He was dubbed the "man who was born 'entirely black' but after thirty eight years had 'become as white and fair as any white person'." [2] So there is evidence of publicity and coverage of the disease all the way back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

Works Cited

[1] http://www.medicinenet.com/vitiligo/article.htm . Government sourced.  1996-2011. Date of access: 3/10/11

[2] http://vitiligocover.com/vitiligo-in-history-henry-moss/ . Nathalie. 2004-2011. Date of Access: 2/28/2011

[3] http://www.vitiligoguide.com/vitiligo-history/ . 2008 . Date of Access: 2/28/11

About Me...

Hello readers,

First and foremost I would like to say thank you for coming and visiting my blog, but before we jump into things I believe I should let you guys know a little bit about me:

Who am I?

My name is Griffin Marshall, and I am a sophomore studying Arts and Technology at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). I love it here at UTD and plan on staying here, which is important seeing as I attended a new school each semester prior to this one. When I'm not studying or in classes, I enjoy hanging out with friends, playing music, and going on vacations.

Why am I writing this particular blog?

 I am creating this blog for the sole purpose of informing people about a relatively unknown skin disease I happen to have called Vitiligo. I was diagnosed with Vitiligo about 6 years ago, and having never heard of it before, I can say I was a little bit overwhelmed when first learning to deal with the effects of my new ailment. Now that I have had six years under my belt, I feel confident in my ability to pass on valuable information to those willing to listen. In the posts that will follow: I will give a historical background for Vitiligo, give reviews and recommendations for various treatments and other care related to the disease, and interview people, (both expert and laymen), about the disease itself. I sincerely hope that the end result of this process will be a successful first foray into the world of blogging for myself, as well as a significant learning opportunity for you and I alike.