Page 6 - Healthbeat June 2017

DISTINCTLY
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STORY BY SARAH DECLERK | PHOTO BY MALLORY MORRIS
individuals who have vitiligo must be sure to wear sunscreen outdoors, he added.
According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, vitiligo affects 0.5 to 1 percent of the global population. The condition can appear at any age, White said, and it impacts all skin types and tones. Vitiligo typically creates symmetrical markings on the face and hands, but each case is unique.
“It’s just a variable course for each person, so there’s no predicting it,” he said, adding that the disorder can affect various areas, progress at different speeds and, in some cases, even become less visible if a patient’s skin regains pigment.
Some individuals with vitiligo, including Carter, exhibit the Koebner phenomenon, which causes skin lesions to appear after trauma. For Carter, this means his skin will not grow back with pigment after healing from a cut or scrape. The phenomenon also occurs with other conditions, such as psoriasis appearing in an area that was injured, White said.
Although there are some methods of reducing the appearance of vitiligo, there is no cure. Topical steroids may reduce the immune response but do not prevent the immune system from attacking pigment-producing cells, White said.
e his own skin, encourages others to do the same
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No two people are exactly alike, and while some individuals might have uncommon
qualities that are not apparent
at first glance, others may have a distinct look that sets them apart.
“Everyone’s different in the whole world,” said Carter Blanchard, an 8-year-old boy from Searcy who has vitiligo, a condition that causes white spots to appear on his skin, including marks around his eyes that look a bit like a superhero mask.
Although Carter was once self-conscious about his complexion, compassionate strangers, including a dog named Rowdy, allowed Carter to realize his superpower — helping
others celebrate the differences that make them special.
“Our platform isn’t just about vitiligo; it’s about embracing who you are and diversity,” said Carter’s mother, Stephanie Adcock. “Carter’s story is vitiligo, but someone else’s story may be that they’re blind or deaf, and they still have something to share and contribute. Carter has a story to share, and he’s already helped a lot of people, including adults, with his story.”
A RARE CONDITION
Vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks melanocytes, cells that make pigment in the skin, as though they are foreign invaders, said Dr. Brad White, the Searcy dermatologist who diagnosed Carter with vitiligo. As a result, the melanocytes stop making pigment, which causes patches of white skin.
Although vitiligo is highly visible, particularly in individuals who have dark skin, the disorder is not contagious or medically dangerous, although vitiligo can sometimes be a sign of an underlying autoimmune disorder, White said.
However, areas of the skin that have lost melanin, the body’s natural protection from the sun, are susceptible to sunburn and, if damaged severely overtime, even skin cancer, so
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