What Is Vitiligo? People Share Their Inspirational Quotes And Images On World Vitiligo Day

These Inspiring Quotes And Images Capture The Beauty Of Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a permanent skin condition that causes white patches to form due to the lack of a chemical called melanin. It's not exactly clear what causes this lack of melanin, but there's one thing we do know - vitiligo is beautiful.

Thousands of people have taken to social media today, the official World Vitiligo Day, to showcase their skin and what makes them unique.

Canadian supermodel Winnie Harlow features prominently in the posts, having made headlines with her incredible story of beating the bullies to become a world-famous catwalk star.

Getty

"Growing up for me was extremely tough in a social sense, I was teased and ridiculed because of my skin," she wrote in a blog post on fabfem.co.uk.

Harlow proved that having vitiligo is no barrier to success in the fashion business, claiming that when she learned to love herself, "opportunities started to fall into my lap and I thank God for all of them."

Here's what some inspirational Instagram users had to say with the hashtag #WorldVitiligoDay:

regram @olorisupergal There is a lot of stigmatization that Β surrounds #Vitiligo. The skin condition is caused by de-pigmentation of some parts of the skin and usually occurs when skin pigment cells die or are unable to function. This skin condition is rare with worldwide incidences averaging 1% with most people who are affected being diagnosed before the age of 40. Β Temilola Omobajesu, a supermodel affected with vitiligo, states that the confidence within you is the key to overcome the 'stigma'. "It took me some years to really accept Vitiligo. Vitiligo affected my modelling dreams and aspirations. Most Directors and Agents would tell me they couldn’t work with me. Some would even say it to my face that they need girls with beautiful skin not my patches." Temilola has started Viti-Dence Foundation, an NGO dedicated to the morale boosting of people with vitiligo and workshops on how to live with vitiligo with confidence, hence the name Viti-Dence (#vitiligo / #confidence.) June 25th is World Vitiligo Day and Temilola celebrates it with an extensive photoshoot showcasing the confidence that says #InOurSkinWeWin! Today, Temilola is an accomplished supermodel, video vixen for several top music videos, and a make-up artiste. For information and support on Vitiligo, check the official page of VITI-DENCE on twitter and Instagram: @vitidence Email: vitidence@gmail.com You can also follow her: @temynikan Photography by @libarty_works Makeup by @looks_by_daphne @diphyna Costumes/Styling by @fabriquebyfabz : Spongebob tee from @michaelfreesoul #WorldVitiligoDay #VitiligoNation #VitiligoCommunity #Vitidence #vitiligoworld #VitiligoBeauty #VitiligoDay #SpreadTheMessage #Showyoursupport

A photo posted by Anita Ifeoma Isedeh (@omaliicha) on

Close

What's Hot