These updates to Mattel’s Barbie range show just how much vitiligo and other conditions have become far more recognised in recent years, and it’s an important step to celebrating an inclusive, diverse society where everyone feels accounted for! Mattel’s top 10 bestselling Barbie dolls last year, from their Fashionista range, included a doll in a wheelchair and a doll with an Afro hairstyle.
 
Vitiligo advocate Joti told us more about just how important the vitiligo Barbie is as a step towards spreading awareness of the condition, which is slowly becoming more and more recognised in the media and all over the world.

We’re excited to announce that VITILIGLOW® has partnered with Emma Baglee Aesthetics! This Northampton-based company specialises in skincare and cosmetic treatments including skin camouflage tattooing, medical tattooing, scalp micropigmentation and more.
 
Medical tattooing includes tattooing over skin conditions, scars and adding features, such as nipple reconstruction, but also camouflaging areas of skin that may be depigmented, for example, which can help restore clients’ confidence and help them feel more empowered.
 
Emma told me that they see many clients who have lost self-esteem because of skin conditions like vitiligo. I know just how important VITILIGLOW® is for many customers because it means they can cover up their vitiligo, and sometimes people choose to go down a more permanent route like Emma’s tattooing procedures.

The benefits of meditation 

Meditation has been scientifically proven to reduce stress and anxiety by helping the listener to gain control of any tension by using the body's calming response. Meditation sessions allow the heart and respiration system to slow down and, therefore, blood pressure reduces too. It can help you feel less anxious in everyday life. 

Meditation has also been proven to reduce depression by boosting serotonin and norepinephrine up to 'depression resistant' levels, which allows the body to feel more balanced. The more you practice meditation, the more it can help you change how you talk and feel about yourself.  

The app 

The Skin Deep team explain that the app has five different guided meditations, all of which have specific, individual themes. I can really see the benefits of the app, as you don't have to even have internet connection to use it, so you can sit and listen to it just about anywhere – on the bus, in a taxi, or even while relaxing in bed. If you're having a stressful day at work, you can listen to the app at your desk, or you can link it to your Amazon Echo and ask Alexa to “play my skin meditation”. 

Many professionals suggest that vitiligo and other similar skin conditions can be brought on or worsened by stressful events or feelings of anxiety, so I think this app is a really important step in helping people with skin conditions feel more in-sync with their bodies and minds.  

I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that it’s really hard to find the time to meditate – or even to slow down! Many of you know that I have a busy full-time job working for one of the UKs largest mental health hospitals and  VITILIGLOW® is something that I manage in my evenings and weekends. So, although I am often busy and work until fairly late in the evenings on all aspects of running a business, I am really keen to try the app out because it will give me that prompt to take a few moments to stop and take some time out to destress and make sure I’m keeping my own mental health in check. 

Mental health is an issue very close to the VITILIGLOW® team and we are planning to focus on this much more on our blog and social media over the next few months.  If you use the Skin Deep app please let us know how you get on and if you’ve got any hints and tips you can share with us! 

The app is launching soon, and you can keep up to date with the latest news on the Skin Deep website.
​ 
Best wishes, 
Polly 
​Founder of VITILIGLOW®

I recently caught up with Caroline Haye who runs The Vit Pro website and blog. Everyone's vitiligo story is different, and Caroline's is the result of nearly 50 years of experience. Her website offers friendly advice, guidance, support and hope for others with vitiligo.

When did you first develop vitiligo?

My vitiligo began when I was just a toddler, starting off with a penny-sized white patch on my ankle bone and a similar one on my spine. These were followed later in childhood by more patches... Around my eyes, at both corners of my mouth and on the backs of my hands.  

I only remember one childhood visit to the GP in connection with my skin. The doctor duly diagnosed vitiligo and had very little to say about it, apart from the fact that there was no treatment and not to worry about it. The only encouragement he offered was to reassure my mother that it would not make my eyes turn pink like an albino’s!

The condition spread much faster in early adulthood. And by the time I reached 50 I was roughly 80% pure, blinding white. I had no colour at all left on my hands, feet, face, lower arms, lower legs and chest. And I had large white patches on my upper back and either side of my waist.

How did you feel about these changes to your appearance?

I often felt quite panicky. Not knowing where or when I would discover the next patch was scary. And not being able to do anything to stop it made me feel powerless. I also felt isolated because, until the internet and social media came along, vitiligo seemed to be virtually unheard of. The doctors I saw knew almost nothing about it. And I didn’t know of anyone else who had it. It felt as if I had a strange and secret disease... And I was the only person on the planet to suffer from it.

Now I sometimes wonder how many other people I walked passed in the street back then also had vitiligo and, like me, were covering theirs up too.

So, how did you cover it up?

Unfortunately, there was nothing like Vitiliglow back then. So I started using make-up at an early age.

I can remember being asked by other children at school why I had white eye lashes on one eye and feeling completely mortified by this. They didn’t bully me: they were just curious. But I was so sensitive about what was happening to my skin that I didn’t want to have to answer questions about it. So, from then on I was careful to cover up my blotchy skin and white lashes. I used mascara and foundation and always chose my clothes carefully so as to hide my patches.  

Later on, when the first fake tans came along (you know, the smelly, streaky orange varieties) I used those. They were better than nothing. But, as my vitiligo was so advanced by then, they took ages to apply. It was like trying to fill in a drawing in one of those colouring books without straying over the outlines. The whole process was laborious and quite depressing.