Your Skin and the Sun...

Before getting into the more personal aspects of what living with Vitiligo has been like, I would like to use this post to answer a few of the more practical questions that have been sent to me regarding my skin, first and foremost being of course - SKIN CARE.

Do you really wear SPF 100 every day?

No. It depends on the length of time I plan to be in the sun, how active I intend on being whilst exposing my skin to the sun and also the daily weather forecast. I generally wear makeup that contains SPF (ranging from 15 to 30) in it, which protects my face and neck. I also sometimes have a fringe (or bangs as it is called in the West) which can help protect my face from the sun, or make a style statement by wearing hats, scarves or sunglasses... There's no reason why we cannot have fun whilst protecting our skin...

I wear protection on my arms, chest and shoulders if I am going to be exposed to the sun frequently during the day e.g. when out shopping, hanging out in the park or when I was in the playground back in my school days and we were not allowed to stay in the classrooms at break time. This only needs to be about SPF 30 if I am switching between being inside and outside often, but common sense dictates that even when outside, I try to walk or sit in the shade.

SPF 100 is what I use MOST DEFINITELY when I will be spending a hot afternoon outdoors at a BBQ or in the park or a day at the beach, which in any case is a rare thing for me (despite being an island girl!). The sun's rays are most harmful during the hours in which people tend to visit the beach (mid- to early afternoon), so I try myself to go either very early in the morning or later on in the afternoon (after 3pm) when the sun will not be as strong. Of course, this is sometimes inconvenient for everyone else in the group wanting to sunbathe etc. so I will wear a T-shirt sometimes as well as my SPF100, swim for shorter periods of time, as the water reflects the sunlight, and reapply sunblock often. Once again, it never hurts to wear a hat and/or sunglasses whenever you can.

Like I said, there is no reason to not look good whilst protecting your skin. I have acquired a number of cardigans, scarves and light jackets to carry with me when out and about, perhaps when I may not have any more sunblock or sometimes don't wish to have the hassle of constantly having to reapply. There are a lot of stylish coverup options available that are in light, breathable fabrics that won't be bothersome on a hot day.

How does your skin react in the sun without protection?

When I was nine years old, having never really protected my skin whilst it was dark, we had a serious wakeup call after a long day at the beach in Trinidad. By this point, my skin was now completely patchy with both dark and white patches all over my body due to the Vitiligo. I got sunburn and sunstroke and woke up the next day with water-filled blisters from head to toe. My skin was so sensitive to movement because of the blistering (the breeze blowing on it, an insect flying past etc.) that every morning for almost two weeks I would sit in a bathtub filled with cool water for hours on end every morning when I woke up. I looked like I had been burnt in a fire and the burn was verbally compared to first or second degree fire burns by my doctor, who actually could not find a suitable place to inject me for a booster shot I was due to have.

After about a week the blisters started bursting and deflating, after which my skin was sore and red all over from the sunburn, and then of course after some time, my skin started peeling. This experience was enough to ensure that any time spent in the sun, especially at the beach, meant that I HAD to be fully protected.

A mild day of sun, where I may be shopping or running errands, will leave me sunkissed and slightly pink without any protection. As mentioned before, I try to spend as much time in the shade as possible if I have to be outside without sunblock, or I carry a light jacket to wear when I can't avoid the sun.

Having Vitiligo means your skin does not have the protection it would normally have, whether you have a single patch or many patches, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to ensure that you have a way of protecting your skin. There is a greater risk for skin cancer and this is no joke. Sunblock can be smelly, it can also be inconvenient or irritating to have to constantly reapply, I totally empathise with this and will admit that I am not always willing to be as responsible as I should with sunblock... However, I have stressed that there are other ways to protect yourself. If your patches are on your face and neck, try using makeup or a moisturiser with SPF content to provide some protection. I currently use MAC makeup which has proven to be very effective, however, anything that provides a barrier between your skin and the sun should work (especially if it is waterproof which will protect against swimming and/or perspiring during the day!)

Remember that your lips may also have lost pigment. Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise! And make sure your lip balm or lipstick of choice also provides sun protection. Most of them do nowadays.

Please note that skin protection is VITAL for ALL SKIN TYPES and ALL RACES, even if darker skin tones are naturally more protected, this does not matter in the long run. EVERYONE is prone to sun damage and even skin cancer, so regardless of whether you have Vitiligo or not, be aware of your skin's relationship to the sun.

Allow me to introduce myself...

A few months ago, my life was a little bit of this and a little bit of that, living it to the best of my ability and yet, like every other human being should be, getting frustrated at the world and at myself for not being able to do more, say more and be more.

A few weeks ago my story living with the skin condition Vitiligo came to light and the response worldwide was overwhelming within a few hours of publishing in the newspapers and online - I never expected it. The recent death and turbulent life of Michael Jackson, who once said that he had Vitiligo, made this story even more publicized due to the fact that I have changed from having dark skin to now being completely white, proving that it is indeed possible.

I am still dealing with the snowball effect of the past few weeks. Overwhelming does not begin to describe the path that I have now been put on, in terms of phone calls, interviews and messages of support (but not always) which have been coming from every corner of the globe. For me, this was unexpected. I have lived with this condition since the age of five, I am now 23 years old. This is my version of "normal". This is my every day.

I have realized that to others, however, this is more than unusual, and for some, it could be a means of support. Following my most recent interview on the NBC's Today Show, as well as the Inside Edition on CBS, the amount of emails and messages I have received from other sufferers of Vitiligo, whether to offer support or to ask various questions about coping with the condition, has pushed me to start this blog as a way of responding to you and hopefully connecting you to each other.

Growing up, I had no one within my age group who had Vitiligo to help me with my condition. It was all on my parents to improvise and I think they have done a fantastic job, considering what they had to work with. They have given me, throughout my life, the confidence to now go ahead and do what it takes to bring whatever awareness I can by sharing my story. I hope this blog can help you, and please believe that the entire experience has been very cathartic for me in raising some past demons and dealing with them, even if it is years down the line.

I don't have all the answers. I'm not sure I have any of the answers. The most I can do is share my own experiences and leave it for you to discuss. Each new blog will share a story, a situation or a lesson that I went through during my time with Vitiligo. If any one of these stories helps someone in any way, whether you have Vitiligo or not, then I believe I have achieved something.

My name is Darcel de Vlugt. I am a Trinidadian woman of mixed heritage who was born with dark skin. My skin is now completely white due to the skin pigmentation disorder known as Vitiligo.

Welcome to my world...