My Vitiligo journey and Advice
Hello,
I’m a 27-year-old male who was diagnosed with Vitiligo at the age of 13. Unlike many Vitiligo cases that are inherited, I believe mine was triggered by the extreme fear, anxiety, and stress I experienced during childhood due to trauma. At the time, I brushed it off because I was just a kid, but it slowly snowballed into much bigger issues.
I developed a fear of speaking in public, being in quiet rooms because I was anxious about stomach noises, and I lived under constant stress. One of the first signs was that I started pulling out my own hair. It became so severe that when my mother saw my face, I was literally balding. She immediately took me to a doctor, and I was treated for the hair loss. The doctor even told her that my condition was “99% mental.”
Back then, however, my family had a strong stigma around mental health issues, so it was ignored. Then, at the age of 13, I developed Vitiligo, which brought its own challenges and affected many parts of my life.
Today, I’m almost 90% treated, and the only visible marks left are small scar-like areas beneath my eyes. Even after everything, I can honestly say I’m glad this happened to me in some ways. It taught me a lot, shaped who I am, and made me unique.
Lately, though, I’ve been wondering about the behavior of Vitiligo. I’m currently going through a lot of stress from work and life in general, and I sometimes feel like it could come back or spread again. Honestly, I wouldn’t even mind it if it did. I’ve already accepted it as part of me.
My point is this: please take children’s mental health seriously. Never brush off the “small things,” because they can grow into something much bigger and deeply affect a person’s life, choices, confidence, and development.