Virge Wrote:Through conversations with a a friend here who is real well connected with the entertainment industry and his former partner of 25+ years and their friends I've heard them talk that Michael Jackson's drug use and withdrawal from public all centered around his depression and warped self image from having such a severe case of vitiligo that had de-pigmented so much of his skin to pure white and pink all over his face and body. Also he underwent some truly weird skin bleaching processes for years trying to hide it/lighten his skin.
This is Jackson on stage with space age cosmetics and it still shows through
Here he is when young to give an idea of his natural complexion. Compare this pic to the ones below of vitiligo on without cosmetics on people of his natural complexion.
Notice first pic and second are same person showing how it spreads
I remember hearing something about one of the kids jackson was supposed to have molested identifying Jackson by "birthmarks" on his penis. Here's a link to a caucasian guy with vitiligo on his penis. I'm sorry guys but I'd be in a constant state of depression and vulnerable to all sorts of self image problems if my weenie looked like this. I'd probably be drinking and doing any drugs I could get too. I really feel sorry for Jackson and sympathize more with him as having this disease and turning to drugs to escape from the feeling he was some sort of freak.
http://hardinmd.lib.uiowa.edu/pictures22...iligo_.jpg
It explains the masks, the gloves, the hiding from public and lots of other things. If I was cover with this type of mess I'd be pretty fucked up and I bet all of you would be too and none of us are even close to being the type of mega star Michael jackson was and still is.
I have vitiligo. The most severe part of it is on my torso. That is where the patches of white are largest. Under my arms it whiter and more of a contrast than on my chest, where it is more difficult to notice. It is also on my neck, around my mouth, and around my eyes. There is none on the lower part of my body. Being white, I also do not have as severe of a contrast from the pigmented skin from the skin that has lost pigmentation. It is an autoimmune disease and not a lot is know about it. It doesn't get the support for research other diseases get because, outside of a few reporting some itching, it doesn't cause people physical pain and it doesn't shorten a person's life. In a few cases it is so severe it will even lighten the color in a person's eyes. There are a lot of different treatments and some will for some people but not others, but for a lot of people nothing works. Bleaching can be very effective for some, but to be effective it turns you so white that you are not just a very light skinned person, you are white white, like the guy from the movie Powder. On my face and neck I can use self tanner to make it not that noticeable. the part I hate the most about it is the spots on the sides of scalp because my hair grows in white, but not the kind of white or grey that comes with age, a very odd white that reminds me of the filaments on those fiber optic decorative light things they used to sell. If you're going to get it, you're probably going to get and there is little you can do to stop. There are some things they say to avoid if you have it that can aggravate the condition and cause ti to spread more or faster than what it would, but if any of you ever notice white patches and think you may have it, there is one thing more than any other you must avoid- paraphenylenediamine found in permanent hair dyes and temporary tattoos, sometimes also listed on the packaging as PPD.
This is a Detroit TV news anchor, Lee Thomas. When on the air he wears make up, but refuses to wear it off the air. He is probably the leading advocate for the cause in the nation.
He lost more after those pictures, but recently has had some pigment return following a therapy that is out of reach for most people. It is a treatment by a doctor in Germany and first involves going for diagnosis to her offices in Germany and then flying to the Amman, Jordan and spending a considerable amount of time there at the shore of the Dead Sea covering yourself in the mud, combined with a UV light treatment. The mud is suppose to contain catalase, which is sometimes prescribed by doctors in U.S. through compounding pharmacies in an attempt to treat vitiligo. They do not have the success rate this doctor in Germany has. The problem with is that it is out of reach for most of us since it involves going for her diagnosis in Germany and then going to Jordan to spend a lot of time, and of course none of it is covered by insurance.
Here is the guy after some of the pigment returned following turning almost completely white:
I hate it, but I live with it. One of my favorite things to do is spend time at the beach or pool, but I am very self conscious about taking my shirt off in public since it exposes the most noticeable spots of my vitiligo. Sorry about the long rant, but you brought it up and set off my chattiness.