Last Updated on 15th February 2022 by Caroline Haye
Or is it just a symptom?
As the saying goes: “The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realise, the less I know.” Thanks to the internet, most of us affected by vitiligo nowadays can acquire a wealth of second-hand knowledge on the subject. And, in our own way, we can become experts in the field. But, the more second-hand knowledge I read and the more I learn through first-hand experience, the more I realise something… That there is more to this condition than meets anyone’s eye. Anecdotal and clinical evidence is riddled with contradictions and unanswered questions. One of these is: Is vitiligo a disease at all. Or is it simply a symptom of various other conditions?
A variety of evidence points to vitiligo being the result of auto-immune issues, thyroid problems, hormonal imbalance, stress, heredity and any number of other factors. I spent most of my life hoping for an explanation as to where mine came from and praying for a cure. As far as I am aware, I do not suffer from any of the above conditions. (Well, maybe stress, but who doesn’t?). So what caused my vitiligo? And how come I managed – eventually – to treat it successfully by taking nutritional supplements and sitting in the sun? Did the combination of nutrients I took, along with UV light, in fact alleviate one of those health problems listed, which I didn’t realise I had? Or was mine due to a completely different cause? Namely, poor absorption of the nutrients in my food due to digestive problems?
Maybe the answer is that vitiligo is not a disease in itself. Perhaps it is just one symptom that a number of different conditions share in common. If so, it would explain why some vitiligo sufferers experience the same success with a nutritional approach as I did and others don’t. Could the inability of the medical profession and drug companies to find a cure for vitiligo be due to the fact that they are trying to cure symptom… Which is about as likely as finding a cure for sneezing!
To find out how I treated my vitiligo successfully, see my Nutrition Summary page.
4 thoughts on “Is vitiligo a disease at all?”
My mother has had vitiligo for about 30 years – it first appeared on her when she was 30 years old. Years ago, when I was a kid, she obtained a cream from a doctor that lightened her skin, so that the contrast between her vitiligo and normal skin was not so noticeable. It had to be used over a period of time for the bleaching effect to occur. However, the rest of the family found it useful to relieve the pain of sunburn during the summer. For years, she has relied on sunscreen, hats and long sleeved shirts to protect herself from the sun.
However, I do recall one interesting comment that her doctor made, to the effect that every patient he has seen with vitiligo has eventually developed diabetes, which is exactly what happened to her. The period between onset of the vitiligo and diabetes was approximately 20 years. I don’t know if this actually is true, but it might be an interesting angle to medical research, to see if they are related somehow.
Thanks for that, Amy. Yes – vitiligo is often linked with diabetes – apparently more often with type 1 than type 2. The impression I get from reading up on the subject is that vitiligo can result from diabetes rather than the other way round.
Ive had vitiligo for abour 2 years now. Im 17, i have it mostly in sections on my knuckles its like there parallel to eachother.And in my hands ,raynauds phenomenon the doctor thinks the two may be linked.
The de-pigmented sections across your knuckles are very typical of vitiligo. Has your doctor diagnosed primary or secondary Raynaud’s? As I understand it, secondary is often associated with autoimmune diseases, so there may well be link to your vitiigo. If this is the case I suppose improving your vitiligo might bring about an improvement in your Raynaud’s symptoms too. I hope so.