Is vitiligo beautiful?

Last Updated on 10th March 2022 by Caroline Haye

Is vitiligo beautiful? It can be. If you doubt that vitiligo can be beautiful, then take a look at the photos on Steve Hargadon’s wonderful Uniquely Beautiful vitiligo collage. You will soon see what I mean.  The many and varied patterns of vitiligo in these pictures seem to turn the faces and bodies into living works of art. Far from spoiling their natural beauty, the markings heighten it somehow. And, as I look into their eyes, I find myself captivated by the strength and dignity that emanates from them.

My contact with vitiligo friends over recent years has shown me another kind of beauty too. It’s what I can only describe as a spiritual beauty that sets so many of them apart from the average person. I’ve often asked myself why this should be. And I think it might have something to do with the gradual de-pigmentation that occurs in vitiligo. Seeing your appearance change from one day to the next can force you to come to terms with who you really are.  You realise that physical appearance has nothing whatever to do with who a person is on the inside. It has nothing to do with what makes them special.  This realisation causes us to look beyond the superficial in ourselves and in others. And I believe it makes us more tolerant, more compassionate and, maybe, wiser than we might otherwise have been. 

So, does this mean that people who have vitiligo are more beautiful than they would be if they didn’t have it?  Well, this probably depends on how they react to their condition.  Not everyone finds wisdom and compassion as a result of their own experiences. Some people can’t cope with the psychological effects of seeing their appearance change. They struggle with the ignorance, curiosity, or even cruelty, of others. These individuals may become bitter, withdrawn, angry and resentful… All reactions that can rob a person of their natural beauty faster than any number of white patches ever could.

But I certainly don’t blame anyone who can’t find the beauty in their own appearance or in their soul.  No one can really know what another person goes through when they are faced with a skin-altering disorder like vitiligo. They may see it as a disfiguring condition. And some people find this utterly devastating.

I had very widespread vitiligo for almost 50 years before I unexpectedly found a therapy that reversed it. I believe my experience made me a stronger and more thoughtful person. And it definitely made me a more compassionate and empathetic one.  But, try as I might, I never did manage to see my white patches as beautiful. I’m not proud of this – it’s just a fact.  So I was thrilled, relieved, grateful and humbled when my pigment returned.  I felt that it gave me back whatever physical beauty I had been missing.  But I like to think that, even though my white patches disappeared, the beauty that vitiligo imprinted on my soul has remained and that is a gift I truly appreciate. 🙂