r/Vitiligo

I started Opzelura today. I had vitiligo in multiple places on my body but I only started it on my face and neck. How long did it take you to see results? What else did you do in addition to the cream?

Hello everyone

I’ve been using Opzelura for about a month and a half. I know changes and improvements usually start around the third month, but I’m starting to notice something strange on my face. I’m using it as recommended: twice a day, waiting a couple of hours after applying it before putting on another cream. Sometimes I’ve also applied Opzelura to the healthy areas because it’s hard to avoid them.

To begin with, my neck (which is almost completely white) itches quite a bit. My face (let’s say about 70% white) doesn’t itch.

I’ve seen photos of successful cases, and usually I notice lots of dark "freckles" appearing and joining together as the skin repigments. I still haven’t gotten any of those… But I do notice less contrast now. I’m not sure whether the healthy skin is getting lighter. I also don’t see the white areas getting darker, but everything seems to look “more even.” My fear is that the healthy skin might be losing pigment.

Has anyone, instead of getting “spreading freckles,” noticed a more subtle recovery of color?

Thank you very much.

Hello everyone! I've been using opzelura on and off. On this stint I am about a month in using it. The progress on my face is visible and I see the pigmentation returning. My question is to the ones who have used the cream, how long did it take to see results on your hands?

Thank you everyone!

I M(26) have vitiligo since i was 16. It started in the private area and went dormant for maybe 6 years.

Now since 2 years it has spread to my beard area. It starting small but has significantly increased in size and also in different spots. I always notice that whenever i shave the spots have become larger.

Besides it just started again increasing in the private area going up to my belly the day after I shaved. Does anyone else have the same issue?

I've had vitiligo ever since I was 7 years old. At first when I was a kid I thought it was normal to have. I noticed I had white blotches forming around my lower abdomen area and a couple of spots on the back of my calves. This runs on my mom's side of the family. The day my mom found out bout my vitiligo it was when I was showering. She walked in my accident and freaked out that her son had this condition. Her great grandmother had it and she went completely white throughout the years, I guess my mom did not want me to end up like her. Anyways, my mom took me to all kinds of doctors in South America and a bunch up here. I went from getting injections to using ointments and to using UV lighting everyday to restore pigmentation. In the end none of it seem to really work so at the age of 14 -16 I completely stopped taking everything and accepted my fate. I was mainly scared that my face would get affected like my great great grandmother but as of today nothing.

I noticed a year back that my lower abdomen area where I have my huge blotches had significantly recovered it's pigmentation. Now, I never paid too much attention because around my 20s I never saw any new blotches so I let it be (I was very lucky). I also never thought to peruse more info on medication about it either, I was completely alright with the blotches I had and they weren't a big deal either , most people wouldn't even notice. Now I'm in my mid 30s and I've noticed now that my brown pigmentation has 95 percent restored itself. I haven't done anything also in terms of meds. I workout i try to eat clean but I don't know if the lifestyle I'm currently living has anything to do with my restoration. I'm thankful that I'm getting my pigmentation back I don't know how but i guess.

Im really struggling to understand what type of vitiligo I have.

I have four small macules on my left hand. Previously had one macule on my neck which I was able to treat, and one macule on my genital which I was able to treat like 80%. The macules are very small from the beginning, and never tend to spread after they initially appear. There is also no symmetry in my vitiligo. Is this a mix of focalized and generalized vitiligo?

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.

I am white female and my vitiligo has finally taken over a lot of my face. My skin takes on a darker color easily and quickly in the warmer months and the vitiligo is already super noticeable.

I do not wear makeup and don't want to take medication. I am wondering if anyone uses a tinted moisturizer or self tanner that can help even it out.

I use dermablend and although it lasts, it gives a cakey look.

Any recommendations that look most natural?

For all you that have been taking Opzelura is it worth it? My dermatologist  gave me a prescription. My health plan does not cover it and its way to costly. Is it worth it before I spend a lot of time and energy trying to find a way to get it. I am in Canada, I have been really trying to find something that works. My hands and feet and completely covered and insanely pure white. I always feel awkward shaking hands and wonder if other people I meet feel hesitant to shake my hand. I have tried all the other create and light therapy, no real difference