World Vitiligo Day

Canadian supermodel Winnie Harlow, who advertises clothing from the Spanish brand Desigual, Victoria's Secret lingerie and other products, has white spots of various shapes and sizes on her face and body A pathology caused by loss of skin pigment is called “vitiligo” and occurs in 1-2% of the world's population The cause of the disease, which is not contagious, is unknown to scientists There are suggestions that dermatosis is a consequence of immune failures, genetic characteristics of the body, chemical intoxication and oxidative stress People with vitiligo are subject to social discrimination and psychological pressure due to low public awareness about this disease Modern medicine cannot help patients suffering from loss of pigment in the skin, eyebrows and eyelashes The attitude of others and the lack of treatment negatively affect the emotional state of people with spots on the face and body, causing neuroses and psychoses World Vitiligo Day, which is celebrated on June 25, is intended to change this situation The date of World Vitiligo Day was the anniversary of the death of Michael Jackson In 1986, doctors diagnosed the black pop singer with vitiligo Jackson's skin discoloration was caused by lupus Other famous personalities also suffer from skin pigmentation disorders: African-American model Chanel Winnie, actress from the TV series “Charmed” Holly Marie Combs, rapper who goes by the pseudonym Sisqo, billionaire Roman Abramovich World Day was held for the first time in 2011 at the Silverbird Galleria in the Nigerian capital Lagos The initiator of the events is the head of the VITSAF Foundation, Ogo Maduesi, who suffers from vitiligo In honor of World Vitiligo Day, symposiums, lectures and meetings between patients and cosmetologists, dermatologists, psychologists and scientists are being held to find ways to solve the problem of depigmentation In 2012, the Vitiligo Research Foundation joined the World Day organizing team and launched a themed website, 25juneorg A year later, exhibitions of portraits depicting people with white spots on their skin were added to the list of events thanks to the American artist Stephanie Corm Support and acceptance from society are very important for people with vitiligo Until the middle of the 19th century they were classified as lepers until the Englishman D Danielson proved that this disease had nothing to do with leprosy In addition to aesthetic imperfections and rejection from others, people with vitiligo suffer from restrictions - for example, they are not allowed to sunbathe The sun causes the skin, devoid of pigment, to become covered with painful blisters Doctors who deal with this pathology urge young patients to be especially attentive to their health In 25% of cases, vitiligo is diagnosed in children under 12 years of age, in 50% - in patients under the age of 20 years And although the disease has not yet been cured, medicine does not stand still Numerous studies by dermatologists, immunologists, neurologists and geneticists have been devoted to vitiligo therapy And while scientists cannot help patients with depigmented skin, ordinary people can Every year, World Vitiligo Day calls on society to show their participation, attention and care