Hello and thanks for stopping by!
I have created this blog in order to share my struggles to reverse my vitiligo and improve my overall health.
As a child, I always had a small white patch on the right side of my pelvis that I just assumed was a birth mark. It never spread and it wasn’t bothersome, so I never worried much about it. My mom even said it was a birth mark because she had forgotten that I was not actually born with it.
Fast forward 30 years to swimming lessons with my 13 month old son. After a couple of weeks swimming in a heavily chlorinated pool, I noticed a small white patch on my left thumb. I thought maybe it was just sun damage…until it started to spread.
I tried not to worry and just ignore it, thinking it would just stop. But it didn’t.
It’s funny because I didn’t immediately associate this with the patch I already had on my pelvis. In fact, it was always such a part of me that the thought never even entered my mind that I could have had vitiligo as a child and never knew it. But one day, I did think about it and I asked my mom. She started remembering that I had actually developed the white patch sometime after I was born…as to exactly when, she couldn’t be sure.
Was it from childhood vaccines? Was it from all of the time I spent swimming in our pool? Who knows.
I have always been a very sensitive child, both emotionally and physically. I was allergic to milk as a child and would get eczema behind my knees and the inside of my arms if I drank it. I also never had much energy. I was always tired and had great difficulty waking for school in the morning.
Interestingly, I also always had a bit of a hearing impairment in my left ear. I failed every one of my elementary school hearing tests (which was always extremely embarassing). I would have never associated my white patch with my hearing loss, but I have recently discovered they are actually connected. I have high frequency hearing loss
When I began searching for “vitiligo cures”, natural remedies, or ANYTHING that could stop my vitiligo from spreading, I could not find much.
I mostly found a bunch of websites selling creams and topical oils. Initially I made the grave mistake of considering my vitiligo to be a skin disorder, which I know now it is NOT. The first skin oil I bought was $100. My mom actually bought it for me because I couldn’t afford it at the time. I used it religiously despite the terrible smell.
Trying to repigment my skin from the outside just didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, though. The skin is just a reflection of what is happening inside the body.
In my quest to find a solution for my vitiligo, I came across a couple of eBooks, one of them very popular, claiming to give you a “system” to regain pigment and begin to see results in as little as one month. This book was a joke. It was just full of recipes and medical treatment options that you can use to try and reverse your vitiligo. No “system”, no step by step instructions as the sales page claims.
Needless to say, I was irritated and decided I was going to have to try and figure this out on my own…and so here I am.
Toxins are a HUGE issue today, and a major contributor to the development of autoimmune disorders and the expression of genetic mutations. I personally have found out that I have toxic levels of mercury, cadmium, copper, and lead. The copper toxicity is interesting to me because not only am I toxic, but it’s biounavailable, meaning it’s in an unusable form. Copper is vital for proper thyroid/adrenal function as well as skin pigmentation. I’m currently on a powerful (but gentle) detox program called Nutritional Balancing. It’s suitable for children, too.
I decided to record my journey in a blog, not only for myself and to document my progress, but also to help anyone out there who like me, cannot seem to find any solid, encouraging answers.
It is my hope that this blog will become an active community of followers, and that I will be able to get to know some of you. I enjoy hearing about your own struggles with this annoying condition, and any remedies you may have tried with some success.
Again, thanks for stopping by!
T.J.
If you’d like to see pictures of my vitiligo and how it has progressed over the last few years, you can see them here.
I’d love to connect with you! So please like The Vitiligo Girl on Facebook and please feel free to message me with any questions or comments or you can also post a comment below. I LOVE receiving comments and answering them, so post away!
Also, if you’d like to receive notification of new blog posts and a monthly newsletter with tips on how to naturally treat your vitiligo, you may sign-up here.
Hi T.J.,
Thank you very much for sharing your story.
I have read in vitiligosupport.org that B12 must be taken together with folic acid in order to work properly in our bodies. Do you take folic acid?
Also, which is your daily intake of Zinc?
Finally, what is your opinion on Betacarotene and Gingko Biloba for vitiligo treatment?
I started with vitiligo in March 2017. I live in Argentina and I am a translator of English. I found much more vitiligo literature in English than in Spanish, which was very useful to me (such as finding your inspiring web page!)
GRACIAS – THANK YOU
That’s really thiinkng out of the box. Thanks!
Hi T.J,
So glad I came across this blog right now. Get so emotional when I read some of the stories.
You are an inspiration to all of us suffering from vitiligo.
Where are you from?
Sincerely,
Melanie
Have you tried L Glutamine? I think no matter what caused your leaky gut L Glutamine can cure it.
Thank you for sharing your inspirational story of life with us, one of my friends in the neighbourhood is facing this issue and she has been really sad about it. I would certainly share your encouraging story with her to fight back. Very nicely written!
Hi, my 14 years old son was diagnosed last year. Now we had tests to show he has high levels of copper, iron, calcium, and magnesium. He also has hyperthyroid which looks like is different from yours. He swims a lot for the high school varsity team. Shall I ask him to stop swimming? He became so allegetic to season change two years ago. I have tons of questions to ask you for help! What shall I do first?
Hi T.J,
Thanks for replying me before. How do I know I have adrenal fatigue without any tests ? What are the ways to cure adrenal fatigue? Can you please suggest me the diet for curing it ?
HI – I would like to share my daughters story with you. My daughter was 11 years old when she went swimming in our pool for the first day of the season two years ago. I had converted the pool over from Chlorine to salt water. she was in and out of the pool all day. Everytime she came into the house her skin was getting darker and darker . Now about 5pm her last stop in to tinkle she was completely spotted up. Those tan spots were no as white as paper. I was dumbfounded. Loss of words.. She was graduating from 5th grade that week and we had bought her a beautiful dress. We have been in and out of many doctors / dermatologist / chemists office.. Everyone says the same thing.. YOu have two years to change that pigment of the skin otherwise the spots will stay forever. Also on another note she had a very stressful prior year. I did read stress can cause the outbreak. Ok, fastfoward to now 2016 2 years later she just turned 13. A neighbor told me he put vitamin on the spots and went into a tanning salon. So at this point we will try anything. I was amazed to watch those spots turn tan after 2 years. Was the happiest day of my life. So far we have gone twice and the spots have gotten pretty tan. I wish I had done this two years ago. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out. Thank you
Vitamin E on the spots. I left off that in error. So sorry. Best of luck to you all. Will say my prayers as I know how frustrating this disease can be.
Hi Stacey!
Thanks so much for visiting and sharing your encouraging story! It simply is not true that pigment has a time limit. You can always heal and repigment at any time…just ask Caroline over at TheVitPro.com. She repigmented after MANY years and after losing most of her pigment!
Hi My son has had vitiligo since he was 5 and is mow 11, however the last year it has worsened. I think we may have some time to make changes, what vitamin did you put on the skin?
Hello everyone,
Thank you for sharing your stories. My daughter was around the age of seven when she was diagnosed with “vitiligo.” She had white spots every where on her body it spread rapidly like hives. It was beyond devastating.
After a handful of bad experiences with traditional medicine I decided to heal her myself from the inside out. She has repigmented most of her white spots.
We completely changed our life style, diet and our belief system. It is my daughter who healed herself, I just gave her the tools.
I have been assisting families with children who have vitiligo for several years now. Please contact me if you need any help in your journey.
My best to all of you.
Kristi
4buterflies@gmail.com
Hi,
You mentioned I personally have found out that I have toxic levels of mercury, cadmium, copper, and lead. ” Is that mean that I should not give my son copper? I let him drink in copper glass and take copper vitamins. All what I read about vitiligo mentioned that they might need copper! Please explain to me if copper is bad or good for vitiligo?
Hello Layali,
If your son has adrenal fatigue, copper is bad and can aggravate his condition. I recommend getting him a hair mineral analysis to see if he does in fact have adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue usually means copper overload and biounavailability.
Hi T.J.,
I am thinking about getting dna analysis done from 23andme but I am not sure what will I get to know from the results or what my next steps will be. Is it worth to get it done? What kind of information should I expect from it?
I do have few vitiligo spots. Diet control and herbs has reversed it for me to a point that it was almost gone. But then I slipped and now it has increased.
Thanks,
TheHiddenVitiligoSufferrer
P.S. I apologize for using an anonymous name but I am afraid to use my real name here. Hope you understand.
Hi there!
I understand wanting to remain anonymous, no worries!
Yes, I feel it is worth it because you may uncover other genetic mutations that can contribute to your vitiligo. For example, I discovered I had a mutation that affected my ability to use B12 properly. However, I also discovered that this mutation could be bypassed by taking methylated B12. So for me it was definitely money well spent.
My name is huma.i have read your story.i have also vitiligo since 5 yrs.i have tried all the medications like allopathy,homeopathy,ayurveda.i got black spots on my patches but only for a limited time period.when i stop taking medication white spots appear again.i did not eliminate glutin and dairy but soon i want to do so but its very difficult.my vitiligo spots are spreading and getting worse day by day.pls tell me what u eat.i also have hypothyroid.i am fed up.what do i do.pls help me if u can do.doctors say that i should not have sour fruits coz it contain vit c and vit c reduces the melanin.but vitamin c is very important for a healthy immune system.iam very confused about diet.i am already taking some dietry restrictions like sour fruits and nonveg etc.pls help me.
Hi Huma!
I know it can be very confusing trying to figure out what to eat/not eat. Basically, you want to avoid gluten and anything you are allergic to, since this can continually activate the immune system. Also, I have heard citrus, spicy foods, and milk should be avoided.
Hi T.J.,
Thank you so much for having the courage to fight this disorder and posting something useful about it! My wife and I truly appreciate it, finding information on the internet has become slightly cumbersome and confusing! Our son has Vitiligo and is still only 4 years old. We’d like to ‘nip this in the bud’ so to speak. We’ll be attempting some of the dietary changes you have mentioned (difficult with a 4 yr old). Do you have any information specifically for kids or links that can provide information children and how to deal with this. Once again, we both thank you for your courage and your posting of this blog.
All the best Max and Priti.
Hello Max!
I am so glad to hear that you have found the blog to be useful. I don’t have any specifics for children, unfortunately. However, I can recommend getting a hair mineral analysis done on your son. I had one done on my boy when he was 3, and it was very telling. He had adrenal fatigue which I have been able to correct with Nutritional Balancing. You may also want to join the Facebook group Holistic Vitiligo Remedies for some tips…there are a few mothers within the group who may be able to offer some helpful suggestions https://www.facebook.com/groups/726052890833789/?fref=nf. It is a closed group, so just click the join button and someone will approve you and let you in.
I came across your website several months ago when my daughter was first diagnosed. I commented on one of the photos how we had started gluten free diet. She is also allergic to dairy and eggs. We have her on Methyl B12, probiotics and digestive enzymes. She has repigmented a ton and a several specialist are using her for case study information. I have wonderful helpful information if you would like to discuss it. I can show pictures of how her legs in particular were awful in July and the huge improvement today. Please let me know if I can help. I know that I felt very lost when I first heard of this and looked everywhere for answers – thank you!
Hi Tammy!
I’m so happy to hear about your daughter! Yes, I would love to have your daughter’s story here on the blog in the form of an interview. Please let me know if you are interested. You can message me on Facebook for details here https://www.facebook.com/The-Vitiligo-Girl-TJ-151344275055276/. Thanks so much for your willingness to share. Also, I do apologize for getting back to you so late…I was without a computer for a couple of months. My hard drive crashed :(!
Hello I am very interested in learning more about your daughters case. My daughter is 9 years old and her Vitiligo stems from a Bone Marrow Transplant. The doctors have her on Narrowband at home and she doesn’t like doing the treatment. I working and learning other ways to help. Im also on facebook, Shawn Tyler in los angles.
How old is your daughter?
hi, my name is beckah i am 13 and i have had vitiligo on my face since i was about 2.
i have learned to except it and now i want to get white mascara (on half of my face i have white eye lashes and eyebrows)
if you want to have a success story on me i would be honored if not oh well.
-beckah
Hi Rebekah-
Thanks so much for visiting. Have you changed your diet and regained any pigment? I am happy to hear you have accepted your vitiligo.
Hi TJ,
I came across your website while researching options for my 7 yr olds vitiligo. I have a question for you, are any of your treatments working for you- in terms of stopping the spread or repigmentation. Please advise.
Sincerely,
Karina
Hi Karina,
I’m sorry to hear that your little one has developed this stubborn condition, I know it must be terribly frustrating for you as the mother. To answer your question, yes, I have been able to stop my vitiligo from progressing. It seems to be in “remission” now. The first thing I did was change my diet (about 7 months ago). I eliminated gluten and dairy immediately – I followed the Body Ecology Diet, and still do to a degree, but I have also eliminated grains and nightshades (Paleo AIP) From all the research I have done, it has become clear to me that gluten is very dangerous for those of us with vitiligo because celiac disease and vitiligo share a gene – NALP1. So likely if you have vitiligo, you have a severe gluten sensitivity at the very least even if you don’t (yet) have celiac. Here is a link to a study that was done linking vitiligo to celiac: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3604853/ and also an article that talks about the NALP1 gene: http://vitiligosupport.org/newsletters/spring2012/spring.html.
As far as dairy goes, it can increase/aggravate leaky gut and casein, and also the protein in milk is very difficult to digest.
After about 5-6 months of dietary change, my vitiligo seemed to start slowing, and then I started Chinese herbs from the Merry Clinic. After about Three months of the Merry Clinic, it seemed the vitiligo REALLY slowed down. I am currently being treated by a holistic doc for hypothyroid and adrenal fatigue – two things known to be associated with vitiligo.
So, in summary, LOL I would have your child’s thyroid checked as soon as possible (ask for a FULL thyroid panel, not just TSH levels) and look at eliminating gluten and dairy. It does take time for the vitiligo to slow down and stop, so even if you’ve already eliminated gluten and dairy and you haven’t noticed any change, stick with it. In any case, gluten and dairy are terrible things to be eating healthwise, anyway.
My son who is 2, was diagnosed recently, but he started showing signs at age 2. I am researching how to combat this autoimmune disease and how to boost his immune system through diet. I am unsure if supplements are safe at his age. He did have a battery of blood tests including the thyroid and it was all negative. What books can you recommend to help me getting started on the gluten free, and non-dairy path? Thank you so much.
Maria
Hi Maria!
There are LOTS of books on this subject. But a few that come to mind are Emily’s Vitiligo (FREE) Wheat Belly and the GAPS Diet (Gut and Psychology Syndrome). These are packed with loads of information, and a good starting point for learning. I hope that helps you! Please feel free to message me with any other questions you may have! Thanks so much for visiting and for leaving a comment 🙂
Your diet is almost exactly the same as Dr. William Davis’s Wheat Belly Total Health http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/total-health/ . He includes lots of research articles which you might find useful.
Thanks Mike!