Today is World Vitiligo Day 💜

Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the cells that make melanin, the pigment that gives our skin, hair and sometimes our eyes their colour. When those cells are damaged or disappear, patches of skin lose their colour and turn white

It isn't contagious. You can't catch it, and you can't spread it by touching someone

For some people it's just a change in appearance. For others, it can affect confidence, mental health, and make the white patches much more sensitive to the sun because they have little or no natural protection from UV rays

If you meet someone with vitiligo, the best thing you can do is simply treat them like anyone else. You don't need to stare or avoid looking. If you're curious, asking politely is much kinder than guessing ☺️

Happy World Vitiligo Day to everyone embracing the skin they're in!