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Michael Jackson once sang, ‘it doesn't even matter if you're black or white.' And indeed, there has been much discussion in the media about Michael's change in skin colour, with the most common theory being he has bleached his skin using skin lightening creams.
Some critics may have been surprised when Michael revealed on the Oprah Winfrey Show that his change in skin colour was due to the make-up he used to hide his vitiligo, a skin condition which affects about one to two per cent of the population.
Vitiligo is a pigmentation disorder, in which the cells that make the pigment melanin (which gives us our skin colour) are destroyed. As a result, white patches of skin appear on different parts of the body. Not surprisingly, vitiligo is associated more with people of darker skin, but Caucasians can also suffer.
Although vitiligo can develop at any time, most people who develop it, do so before the age of 20. Its cause is not really understood, but it is believed to be hereditary. However, some children with vitiligo have no family members with the condition. Vitiligo is also common in people with thyroid problems.
Although vitiligo is neither life-threatening nor infectious, for people with vitiligo, which has no known cure and can spread at any time without warning, the condition can be emotionally devastating.
Maxine Whitton is well aware of this, because she has suffered from vitiligo for more than 40 years. But now at the age of 60, she has finally come to terms with it. 'I first developed vitiligo on my knees when I was about 12. I fell over and a scar developed, but the skin never regained its colour,' she explains.
However, this wasn't a problem for Maxine, because the patches disappeared and no further vitiligo patches developed. Until she was 16. 'I suddenly started to develop patches on my eyelids and lower lip, and because it was so obvious I had to wear cream on my lip to camouflage it,' explains Maxine. 'My parents took me to the dermatologist, who told me that I had vitiligo, that it could spread further, and that there wasn't much they could do in terms of treatment. I was devastated.'
Maxine, like most teenagers was concerned about her appearance, and to draw attention away from herself and the vitiligo, she started to act the clown. 'I had lots of friends and was outgoing, but deep down I didn't have any confidence. I never thought I would have a boyfriend, or that anyone would love me.'
Maxine's confidence got a boost when she finally came to live in England in the 1960s. 'I was lucky because I was thin with long legs, and that look was really popular, so I had lots of boyfriends.’ Maxine underwent treatment called PUVA, which involved taking medication and visiting the hospital for ultraviolet light treatment, similar to that in a sunbed, and with time the vitiligo cleared up. However, years later, after the birth of her first child, Maxine's vitiligo flared up and spread to her neck and elbows.
At the time Maxine was working as a teacher, so couldn't hide her hands. And although children never mean to be cruel, they made unkind comments about her vitiligo. Maxine gave up teaching, and from then on, the vitiligo continued to spread. By the time she had her second child, her whole body was affected.
This case highlights the unpredictability of vitiligo. The patches can get bigger and spread to other parts of the body at any time.
Suffering from vitiligo has restricted the clothes Maxine wears and the activities she takes part in. 'Even though I had long legs, I never wore shorts, or sleeveless or short sleeved tops. And I always dealt with nasty comments by making a joke out of it. I was once at the Albert Hall with a friend, and we bumped into a friend of hers who said, ‘Good God, your friend’s turning white,’ I remember my response was, ‘Yes I am, I wonder what Enoch Powell would make of it.’
It is often said you have to reach rock bottom before you can get better, and that is what happened to Maxine. In her late 40s, her vitiligo started to spread again. 'At one stage I thought I would turn completely white, I was so depressed and thought my husband would leave me.
‘There was also a lot happening in my life: I was going through the menopause, my children were leaving home, and my father was ill.'
Maxine was referred to a counsellor, which was to be the turning point. ‘Counselling put everything into perspective and I realised my vitiligo didn't define me.’ Maxine eventually become involved with the Vitiligo Society, which helped her realise she wasn't alone. 'I finally took control, and started to learn everything I could about vitiligo,' she says.
Today Maxine is fortunate because her vitiligo has improved. She is taking part in an experimental treatment using laser technology which, happily, to date appears to be working.
Treatments
- Steroid therapy cream
- PUVA treatment, of which there are three types:
a) topical psoralen photochemotherapy - a cream is applied to the skin and then the skin is exposed to ultraviolet light.
b) oral psoralen photochemotherapy - the patient takes a tablet and around two hours later, the skin is exposed to ultraviolet light.
c) bath psoralen photochemotherapy - the patient is soaked in the bath and then is exposed to ultraviolet light. - De-pigmentation. This involves fading the rest of the skin to match the white areas. This treatment is reserved for people who have vitiligo covering more than 50 per cent of their body.
- Excimer Laser Treatment. This involves using ultraviolet light with a laser to treat the affected area, which causes the skin to re-pigment itself.
- Surgical treatments are rare, but can include skin grafts.
- Other options include cosmetics, such as Dermablend’s dermatological make-up, which offers 15 different skin tones, as well as skincare products, concealers, and bronzers; Supercover, which offers a range of concealers and foundations for more than 40 different skin tones; and Keromask by Christy, which offers specially formulated shades to match your skin tone.
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