Hi,
my son is 5. He developed vitaligo when he was 3. he has a large white spot in the genital area which reaches his belly button and a small one on the knee. he started asking me about his white spots, also because it is almost a year we treat him with creams. so far, he is just curious about it. He is going to start school in September and I want to provide him with a clear explanation so he can use it with confidence if other kids ask him about it.
I would very much appreciate any suggestions based on your experience of being parents of kids with vitaligo or being people with vitaligo who already went through their childhood. What is the best thing to say, especially taking into account that a kid will use the same explanation when he is asked about it?
Thank you,
Andrea
Replies
I went through the same pain. I had one patch on the eyelid. I am applying henna leave powder thick paste (with regular water) on top of the patch. Also I intake around 5 mg powder mix with regular 1/2 cup of water every morning before the preakfast. I felt the difference within 2 weeks. Also in few months white patch completely gone away. Right now I don't have any white patch . If you think can you try, please try and see.
Please everybody keep sharing your experience as parents of kids with vitaligo or people with vitaligo who already went through their childhood. It is really helpful.
All the best,
Andrea
Hi Andrea,
I’m not a parent but I developed Vitiligo at the same age as your son (I'm now 23). And so I can only talk about how things were for me and how my mum handled it. Maybe starting school now is very different to 20 years ago, or maybe it’s exactly the same but kids are great – like you said, your son is getting curious about his vitiligo, all kids will be but give it 5 minutes and they’ll spot something else, something more interesting to them and they’ll move on, your sons vitiligo will then just be the norm. The best advice I can give is to make sure your son is the most comfortable and confident he can be before starting school. Vit does not hurt him or anyone else and it’s not contagious – these are the things he needs to remember and can teach other kids. Let him know it’s up to him to talk about it as much or as little as he wants…people are only curious about things they don’t know much about so the more people, especially kids, who are taught about vitiligo the better as then it becomes less of a big deal for people like your son. On the other hand, if he doesn’t want to talk to other kids about it then so be it. Vitiligo is not all he is. Tell him of the things that pop into your mind when you think of him. His hobbies, interests and personality should be what people know of him. I’ve always been more than willing to explain about vitiligo to those I’ve caught staring as my mum taught me that its normal for people to be shocked by things they don’t come across every day, but at the same time I’d hope my friends and family can say at least 5-10 words to describe me before vitiligo pops into their head as I'm so much more than my crazy skin. As for an explanation, it’s difficult with kids, I don’t remember exactly what my mum told me and therefore what I told kids at school. There will be more questions as he gets older and time then for looking into more of a scientific answer but for now I’d say just keep it basic, his natural skin colour is disappearing and it leaves him with patches of white skin where there is no natural colour anymore. For 5 year olds it can actually be quite cool having something so rare, and if the patches start spreading he should embrace it – who else in his class will have skin which changes colour in front of their eyes?! It’s like magic.
I hope this helps – everyone has a different experience so you do have to wing it at times! – let us know how he gets on at school, good luck!
Becky.