Mamta Mohandas the Malayalam film star has been diagnosed with vitiligo. After battling cancer, this is her second battle to overcome.
Women suffering from life altering diseases is slightly different from a man with the same issues. It is seen that women have a far more devastating result with diseases, that alters her appearance. This isn’t saying or reducing the fact that a man too has to deal with the same low self esteem issues when faced with vitiligo. But for a woman, it’s harder to find acceptance, even within her family. She has to deal with the stigma at a far deeper level.
Vitiligo is an auto immune disorder. This is when the body loses its natural skin colour and has white patches. This discolouration of the skin, is gradual. It starts with small patches over the feet, the hands and the mouth and can spread all over the body.
Internationally we have Chantelle Whitney Brown-Young, known professionally as Winnie Harlow, a Canadian fashion model and public spokesperson on the skin condition, vitiligo. In India, we are still to find a Winnie to pooh away the disease ostracism.
It is seen that most people who suffer from this condition feel that they are cursed. The misinformation surrounding vitiligo patients till date remains skewed and unfair.
India is considered to have the highest prevalence of vitiligo in the world, at about 8.8%. This disorder of skin depigmentation in varying patterns, vary from small macules with scalloping borders to near total depigmentation of body.
This can have a devastating effect on the psychology of the patient. This onset of this disease generally occurs to patients before they are in their 20s. Thus creating a higher pressure among the patients.
This autoimmune disorder is not merely a cosmetic problem. 70 million people across the world have vitiligo. Hormonal response, to psychological stress such as cortisol has a role in the development of vitiligo. Physical or environmental stress is also seen to be involved in the onset and the disease progression. Psychological stresses also contribute to the onset and progression of vitiligo.
The stigmatisation of vitiligo, many patients stated is seen among their friends and family members who hold mistaken beliefs. Apart from dealing with the obvious change in appearance, it further causes them more hurt and anxiety. It is often found that the first reaction of the patient on seeing their vitiligo is to ignore it.
The psychology towards denial of the disease is generally attributed to illness like allergy, dryness, leprosy, calcium deficiency, worms, fungal infections, burns, insect bites, and trauma. Most find it hard to accept and start early to find a cure to halt the discolouration of the skin.
Vitiligo sadly is still considered a serious illness in the case of a woman. Especially in view of the adverse effects of finding a partner easily for marriage, securing a job, the undesirable appearance, the stigma attached to it, bloating caused by medication, the lack of response to treatment and the burning sensation on sun exposure.
Vitiligo is asymptomatic and is not a contagious disease.
With the Malayalam actor who has publicly spoken about her disease, we hope we have more public figures who create awareness surrounding the disease, making it easier for patients, especially women who are severely traumatised to even be associated with vitiligo.
Mohua Chinappa is an author and a podcaster of a show called The Mohua Show.