Meet Yasmin

I developed vitiligo when I was around 8 or 9 years old. No one in my family had it. I'm still not exactly sure what the trigger was, but I remember falling off my bike and scraping my face on the pavement. The cuts on my face scabbed over, and when the scab fell off, the skin left behind had no pigment. Following that, the vitiligo began to spread, from spots on my knees and hands, grey hair, and the area where most of vitiligo is present - my face.

Soon after I was diagnosed with vitiligo, I started camouflaging my spots with makeup. I would spend roughly 30-40 minutes in the mirror using a myriad of camouflage creams, powders, and shadows, to they and remove all traces of my skin condition.

Imagine having to wear a full face of makeup at age 9.

Navigating through my vitiligo journey as well as navigating the hurdles of adolescence and young adulthood made for a difficult time. I was incredibly self conscious of my vitiligo and my worst nightmare was anyone finding out I had the condition.

There is nothing wrong with camouflaging if you choose too, but I became a slave to my makeup. I couldn't leave the house, go to the gym, or even open to the door to the postman without covering up my vitiligo. Summer was a stressful time for me as I would be too preoccupied about my makeup running and my vitiligo showing, to enjoy the sun. People at school used to point out my grey hair and I dyed it black multiple times to cover up the white hairs.

I tried creams such as tacrolimus, but their effects were temporary(if any) and I had side effects from them which just weren't worth the hassle. my vitiligo ruled my life. I would say no to some events if there was a chance my makeup would come off and people would see my patches. I was constantly touching up my makeup in fear, and people used to make fun of me for being 'vain' because of it.

Supermodel Winnie Harlow has been instrumental in changing my perceptions of my vitiligo. whilst hiding it every chance I got, she was out here flying the vitiligo flag and looking amazing doing so. It made me think that if Winnie can be a Victoria secret model and show her vitiligo to the world, I can go to the gym showing mine. Then it progressed to the shop. Then it progressed to a walk in the park. When the pandemic hit and I was isolating with Covid, I had a lot of time to think about what was really important. In a scary time where people were literally losing their lives, did I really want my legacy to be that I was so scared of what people would think of me, that it stopped me from living my life?

It was then that I realized if my biggest fear surrounding my vitiligo was people finding out about it, then the only way to take away that fear, was to tell everyone about it.

Thats exactly what I did. I took a picture of me with my patches on show, au natural. posted it on my social media then turned my phone off for 5 hours. When I turned it on, the response, was absolutely phenomenal. I was overwhelmed by the support I had received from my friends and family. It was so moving. after that, the acceptance of my vitiligo my rocketed. So did my self esteem and self love. I had tricked myself into thinking that no one would ever find me attractive with my vitiligo, but that couldn't be further from the truth!

Being open about my vitiligo was one of the best decisions I ever made. The freedom that came from it, was second to none. It took me 20 years, but I was finally, FINALLY, comfortable in my own skin. I hope everyone with vitiligo reaches this point on their journey.

Since stopping camouflaging, I have grown in confidence and now even do some modelling! I love the fact that there is a supportive vitiligo community. If I see someone in the street with vitiligo I always say Hi! I think thats quite beautiful. Beauty standards are changing, and people are a lot more open to beauty that doesn't fit the 'norm'. Our spots are beautiful and unique and we should celebrate that!

For anyone struggling on their vitiligo journey, please know you are not alone, and it helps to speak to other people with vitiligo. I would recommend joining any support groups. I Joined one on Facebook a few years back and its a safe and supportive space. Highly recommend!