Since I launched Vitiliglow™ in 2014, I’ve been very lucky to receive some amazing support from not only my lovely customers, but from a number of people in the public eye.  I won the Sun on Sunday Fabulous Magazine ‘Michelle Mone Mentors’ competition in 2014 and appeared on Dragons’ Den in 2015. Throughout all that time, I’ve had the support of the lovely Dean Edwards, who's been the resident chef on ITV’s Lorraine show in the mornings since 2010.
 
You may not know that Dean’s had Vitiligo for a number of years, most noticeably on his hands. Dean’s job involves creating wonderful dishes, where his hands are filmed at very close proximity and then appear - in high definition – in homes up and down the country. During filming, Dean uses Vitiliglow™ to cover his patches. It was only very recently, after more patches started to appear on his face, that Dean chose not to cover up all the time, which led to an outpouring of comments (not all positive) about his ‘fake tan fail.’
 
Dean revealed to Lorraine Kelly that he had Vitiligo and that he’d covered his patches for years, who admitted she had no idea that Dean had Vitiligo. You can read more about the story here.
 
Firstly, I’m delighted that Dean has opened up about his Vitiligo and raised awareness of the condition. Dean has written a very heartfelt blog post about not only the condition and how it has affected him, but also about how important it is to be aware of how you speak to people on social media.  Secondly, I’m so pleased that Dean has used Vitiliglow™ so successfully for years that Lorraine Kelly (and the nation) had no idea that he had Vitiligo!
 
I’ve talked about this in my blog before, but I only ever want people to use Vitiliglow™ to help them improve their confidence if having patchy skin gets them down. I’m so pleased that Dean is using Vitiliglow™ when he needs to and has felt confident enough in himself to show his patches off to his fans and the nation. I’ve been so grateful for Dean’s support so far and pleased that he’s flying the flag for Vitiligo and bringing awareness and compassion to people’s attention. Check out Dean's blog www.deanedwards.co.uk and his social media @deanedwardschef
 
Best wishes
Polly Gotschi
Founder of Vitiliglow™

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll see that TV Chef Dean Edwards has tagged Vitiliglow ™into a great video clip called "Things not to say to someone with Vitiligo." I've had Vitiligo for 20 years now, so I've heard them all - my favourites being "is it contagious" and "does it come off in the shower."
The aim of this clip is to be lighthearted, but it does show the impact Vitiligo can have on people and how tiring it can be to explain why you look a little different all the time.
Take a look and let me know what you think - comment below if you've been asked something that they've not included in this video! 

Best wishes
Polly 

Founder of Vitiliglow™