Vitiligo is a skin condition in which white patches develop all over the body caused by the loss of melanin – the skin pigment. In vitiligo, the melanocytes, the cells that develop the pigments get destroyed due to an autoimmune condition. The disease is widespread among all the races. But it is more apparent in people with darker skin tones, living in African and Asian countries. Vitiligo often has devastating social consequences and people living with the condition are treated as outcasts. On July 25, every year, World Vitiligo Day is observed to draw attention towards the skin condition, to create awareness and to lessen some of the stigma surrounding the disease. World Vitiligo Day 2019 is observed on Tuesday, July 25, 2019, and the theme this year is "Mental and Medical Journey of Living with Vitiligo - The Journey Starts with ME!" Winnie Harlow Wants Diversity in Fashion World: Vitiligo Model Called Walking Victoria’s Secret Runway a 'Huge Honour.'

World Vitiligo Day Theme 2019

The focus of World Vitiligo Day 2019 is "Mental and Medical Journey of Living with Vitiligo - The Journey Starts with ME!" The purpose of the theme is to highlight the emotional and psychological well-being of people living with the skin condition.

Vitiligo is a highly stigmatising illness, which affects the quality of life profoundly. People living with vitiligo experience mental health problems like anxiety, depression and self-esteem issues, which makes the theme particularly relevant and significant.

Significance of World Vitiligo Day

Vitiligo is not an illness that is just skin deep. The condition affects 100 million people across the world, who struggle with social stigma and psychological illnesses.

World Vitiligo Day aims to reduce some of the stigmas by dispelling misinformation about the condition and restoring dignity in the lives of people with vitiligo. 5 Psychological Effects Seen in Survivors of Breast Cancer.

Through the events and campaigns, vitiligo suffers can come together and reach out to others with the same condition, facilitating the dissemination of information.

How Vitiligo Affects Mental Health

Skin is tied to a person’s body image and self-esteem. Since vitiligo affects the skin quite profoundly, people with the condition have severe psychological and social problems.

One-third of patients with skin conditions suffer from emotional problems. Experts believe that skin conditions are caused by psychological stress, or may be related to certain personality traits.

Studies state that the more time passes after the first appearance of vitiligo symptoms, lesser the psychological co-morbidity.

People who get treatment for vitiligo have a better quality of life that those who don’t. Vitiligo impacts people with dark skins more than those with lighter tones. That’s because the loss of pigment is seen more significantly in dark skins.

Dark-skinned people with vitiligo have a higher incidence of social phobia, higher risk of suicides and low self-esteem. Vitiligo lesions were connected to a high incidence of major depressive disorder and social phobia in people. World Vitiligo Day intends to mitigate some of the social stigma associated with the illness and improve mental health of the people living with the skin condition. In this day and age, when mental health is treated at par with other serious physiological disorders, creating awareness about mental health disorders in vitiligo patients is the need of the hour.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 25, 2019 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).