What is vitiligo?

Model Winnie Harlow, famous for being a contestant on America's Next Top Model, recently walked the New York Fashion Week runway, makeup-free. Her choice garnered much press. With enthusiastic audience applause, Winnie proudly sported large, light patches of discoloration on her face, arms and legs. Winnie suffers from a skin condition called vitiligo. Michael Jackson suffered from the same condition.

The majority of patients are diagnosed with the condition at an early age. Vitiligo is often hereditary, but there have been cases where the condition was triggered by thyroid dysfunction. In rare instances, some patients have reported that the onset of vitiligo began shortly after an extreme stress incident or sunburn. There is currently no cure for vitiligo.

While the skin condition is not painful physically, people with vitiligo suffer from emotional stress and pain. The unusual discoloration is often pronounced and people may stare, comment and in severe cases, bully a person suffering from the disorder. There are 3 options for vitiligo patients: attempt treatment to mitigate the discoloration, cover the discoloration with clothing or makeup, or in the case of Winnie Harlow, accept the condition and stop hiding it.

Cosmetics

Covering discoloration with cosmetics can be an effective, but temporary option. There are several cosmetics designed exclusively for vitiligo patients. Foundations and cover-ups are usually thicker and more opaque than ordinary cosmetics, in order to effectively cover the lighter patches. 

The top line of cosmetics for vitiligo is Dermablend. Created by an American dermatologist in 1981, the cosmetics are hypoallergenic and noncomedogenic. The formulations are heavy enough to camouflage discolorations without clogging pores or creating sensitive skin reactions.