Woman With Vitiligo Undergoes State Of The Art Treatment To Reverse The Condition

'I Feel Fantastic' Says Woman Starting Treatment To Reverse Vitiligo

A woman who suffers from a rare skin condition has said she feels "absolutely fantastic" after beginning a new treatment.

Lisa Johnson developed vitiligo when she was a child - the rare skin condition has left with white patches all over her body.

But a new treatment and a state of the art makeover could be about to change that.

She said: “It’s a condition which causes my skin to turn a different colour. I now have white patches covering more than a third of my body.”

Vitiligo is not life threatening but its psychological effects can be devastating to sufferers.

Lisa had a happy childhood until she noticed a white mark on her body - she had no idea what was to come or how fast it would spread.

She said: “I noticed it when I was around 7 years old, then it developed on to my leg and it just kept spreading.”

Lisa was bullied throughout school because of her skin, and after 17 years of suffering, she has turned to a skin specialist for help.

Dr Pearl Grimes said: “This condition dramatically affects quality of life. It can interfere with a person’s physical and mental wellbeing with devastating effects.

“But there is hope available for Lisa, I’m recommending a course of Narrowband UV light therapy which should re-colour her skin.”

The therapy could take some time to take effect, so in the short term Lisa has been given a specialist cover-up product.

A computer generates a special formula after analysing images of Lisa’s skin and it tells a dermatologist how much of each colour to use to cover over the white patches.

After the procedure, Lisa said: “It just feels absolutely fantastic – to see the smile on my sister’s face when she saw me really warms my heart and my soul. I feel like I can be me again.”

Lisa's story appears in a new series of Body Bizarre, which airs every Thursday at 9pm on TLC

Jennie Runk

Body Image Heroes

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