Lack of information and support

[kerrywalker]

Ever since getting diagnosed 14 years ago, I have felt alone and depressed with this condition. There seems to be a lack of information and indeed help when it comes to hopefully one day finding a cure. I have also asked my dr about camouflage makeup on the nhs but keep getting referred to london based companies who say they do not cover my area so ive never got anywhere with this
I have had light treatment on 2 different occasions but they stopped offering it at my local hospital as there was noone trained to do it there any longer!!! Its redicilous! Its like we are not deemed important enough to help

[ckbridgett]

Hello Kerry
Vitiligo is a depressing illness and you deserve a better deal! As a next step I suggest you get advice from The Vitiligo Society: http://www.vitiligosociety.org.uk - they will guide you and offer support I am sure. Phototherapy should be available throughout the country, but some places are better served than others. The same goes for cosmetic camouflage - it used to be provided through the British Red Cross but is now available through https://www.changingfaces.org.uk/Home
I hope that is helpful.

[Dr Anton Alexandroff]

Dear Kerry,

I am so sorry to hear about your suffering. Vitiligo is a truly distressing condition and I am afraid at present treatment options are limited but there are a lot of doctors and scientists who are trying to find a better treatment (see my tweets for example). You might also like to see results of priority setting partnership about vitiligo treatments. As the result of this PSP we now have Hi Light clinical trial in the UK.

In any case I hope that you found Dr Bridgett advice helpful. By the way, have you tried tacrolimus (protopic) ointment or pimecrolimus cream?

I hope this is helpful and if it is of any help at all you can read more about vitiligo at www.alexandroff.org.uk

With best wishes,

Dr Anton Alexandroff MCP(UK) CCT(Dermatology) FAAD FRSM
Consultant Dermatologist in Leicester Spire and Nuffield Health Hospitals and University Hospitals of Leicester
Member of the British Association of Dermatologists
www.alexandroff.org.uk

twitter: your_skin_dr
Blog: http://privatehealthnews.co.uk/author/a-alexandroff/
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