Meet Iryna

Earlier, I wanted to be like everyone else and always looked for ways to conceal my vitiligo. At the same time, while hiding it, I felt like I was deceiving both myself and others. I was convinced that this was all temporary and that this story wasn’t about me. I thought everything would pass, and my life would be different—that I would be confident.

But time went on, life went on, and my “story” never began. Gradually, my attitude toward my appearance changed.

Now, I look at myself in the mirror, and I like the girl I see there. As a whole—not just for her eyes, smile, or something else.

The color of my skin is constantly changing; I can’t predict it, so I simply accept this feature. Self-acceptance is a gradual process, and for me, it is still ongoing.

I am convinced that the most important thing is how you see yourself. And although people around me are interested in what is different from what they are used to seeing, I believe that, over time, vitiligo will no longer seem like something “unusual.”

Nowadays, everyone talks about “self-love.” But this is a lesson we learn throughout our lives, in different situations and from different perspectives. It’s great that I have met many people who sincerely wanted to help and shared their experiences—some had relatives or friends with vitiligo, while others dealt with it themselves.

Of course, there are also inappropriate questions, but I have long treated this with humor, and I think it has taught me not to get lost in awkward situations. Today, I realized that I have been living with vitiligo for 20 years. And, as it turns out, it’s not scary at all, but very interesting. I’m very glad that I allowed myself to try things where vitiligo could have been an obstacle.

However, I do regret not having the courage to try what I wanted earlier, because, in my head, vitiligo was the obstacle.

I wish for everyone with vitiligo to live their life fully. I believe that we make life bright.