vitilijoe

my name is joe. and i have vitiligo.

[briannashay]

“Self Portrait” Day 37

[rae-ofsun]

to my surprise, my vitiligo is beginning to spread on my lower back

[vitiligojournal-deactivated2014]

Bellow is one of the many recommendations and warnings issued by the American Academy of Dermatology for vitiligo patients:

Do not get a tattoo.

Getting a tattoo can cause something called Keobnerization or the Koebner phenomenon. What this means is when you...

[thevitiligoblog]

[vitiligojournal-deactivated2014]

Seems like the cure for vitiligo has been found, at least on lab mice. It’s still going to be years until it’s approved for everyone - after a long human trial period I’d imagine. Here’s the news article published today, February 27, that first broke the good news:

This is a huge medical...

[vitilijoe]

It's been a year since I've been getting Xtrac laser treatments and although I've seen some progress, I'm looking into other treatments. My relatives from the Philippines sent me tolenorm oil, which is supposed to help with vitiligo and other hypo-pigmentary problems. Has anyone on tumblr tried this out? And if so, what were the results? Are there any other recommendations for treatments out there?

[vitilijoe]

Comparison shot from summer (?) and a few days ago. The spot on my jaw is getting more filled in and there's more repigmentation on my chin from before.

[vitilijoe]

Haven't posted in a while but I was just asking my sister about Melagenina Plus and she brought up a point I didn't think of. It makes sense to me though. Anyway, has anyone had any luck with it? I've been getting X-Trac laser treatments and applying Elidel here and there. There's was a short period of quick repigmentation but it's since slowed down. I'll be posting more updates in the near future.

[vitiligojournal-deactivated2014]

I’ve been doing a lot of research lately and it seems like the treatment that works the best against vitiligo is Narrow Band UVB lights. You know when you go to a club or some restaurant and your white shirt and teeth basically “glow”? Those are Ultra Violet (UVA) lights in action, which are...

[vitiligojournal-deactivated2014]

Australian scientists have confirmed a ‘weak link’ in the immune system - identifying the exact conditions under which an infection can trigger an autoantibody response, a process not clearly understood until now.

We have known for many years that autoimmune diseases can occur after the body...

[vitilijoe]

Progress?

The left side is from not too long after I started treatments, maybe in July?

And the right side is from this morning.

The borders of my non pigmented areas are more defined and the repigmented places are getting slightly bigger.

[monderigon-deactivated20120924]

Ariel Taub’s project on Vitiligo. I have a new appreciation for this condition, it’s just so beautiful.

[vitilijoe]

Bad photo, but I’ve been using a new cream that my mom gave me (she’s a pediatrician) called Elidel, which I was told, is similar to Protopic. Since I’ve been using it, about a couple weeks, I’ve noticed new pigmentation, namely on my chin. Those two dots weren’t there after I stopped my laser treatment. Hopefully, this means the cream is working, and I won’t have to wait for my insurance to approve more laser treatments. My girlfriend suggested taking pictures and dating them to keep track. So consider this the first of many updates.

[vitilijoe]

My hat matches my natural camo.

[vitilijoe]

From my follow-up visit at the Dermatologist this morning

Me: So is there anything I can do in the meantime while I'm waiting for my insurance to approve more Xtrac laser treatments?

Dr. Roth: Get new parents.

Me: ....

[vitilijoe]

I just got my hair cut today. The lady that cut my hair said, "Oh, you got burned, huh?" I corrected her and said that I have a skin condition and she asked if it hurt. I told her it didn't and she stopped asking any more questions. But I'm pretty sure she wanted to say something when she cut the sides and back of my head and saw my white hair. They seem bigger and brighter than before, despite what my nurse says about the scalp spots looking darker. Anyway, it's enough that I get questions about my face that I don't want to talk about my hair and end up dyeing it. I've seen pictures on Tumblr of girls that like their white streaks, but with short hair, it just doesn't look right.

[vitilijoe]

I was just looking at the pictures on my phone and came across pictures from when I started my Xtrac laser treatments, roughly 2-3 months ago. It doesn't seem like it's helping much. If anything, the treatments have just highlighted the spots with the darker borders. And turned the white spots pink/red. I wonder if I continue my treatments, there would be more progress. Unfortunately, my insurance only approved 30 sessions through July, which means my last appointment will be on the 25th, with my post-treatment consultation on the 26th.