Local magazine Bona recently unveiled its cover star for June, renowned actress Leleti Khumalo — in all her vitiligo glory — and we're here for it.
Of late, the actress and now producer has not shied away from showing her skin condition in public appearances — and even on her latest on-screen project, "Imbewu" — and it's so refreshing.
"I used to cover my white patches with makeup, but for "Imbewu" I will not be covering it. My plan is to educate people about vitiligo. But I also don't want to do half a job. I'll be doing educational talks on vitiligo, and I'd obviously want the talks to have an impact," the 48-year-old told Drum earlier this year.
Asked why she had "hidden" it before, Khumalo said in her experience, the entertainment industry wasn't accommodating to people with vitiligo. "Our industry doesn't accommodate things like this, and people do not understand, because they don't know me like this. It is a matter of understanding and working with it. It used to affect me a lot; this industry is about looks. But now I have accepted it."
And just in case you were curious, vitiligo is not "Michael Jackson's disease" or "that patchy skin problem" — it's a condition that causes the loss of skin colour in blotches.
Here are five things you should know about it, according to the Mayo Clinic.
1. Cells that produce melanin are affected
Vitiligo occurs when the cells that produce melanin — melanocytes die or stop functioning. Normally, the colour of hair and skin is determined by melanin, but with vitiligo, these body parts become lighter or white.
2. It can start at any age
Any age group can be affected, but vitiligo often appears before age 20. Although it is a progressive condition, many people experience years or decades without developing new spots.
3. Symptoms
These can include patchy loss of skin colour, premature whitening or graying of the hair on your scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows or beard, loss of colour in the tissues that line the inside of your mouth and nose, and loss of or change in colour of the inner layer of the eyeball.
4. Genetics
The exact cause of vitiligo is not known, according to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Centre. However, there is strong evidence to suggest that people with vitiligo inherit a group of genes that make them susceptible to depigmentation.
5. No cure, yet
Vitiligo has no cure at present, but treatment —which may include medication, surgery, and adjunctive therapies — may help to stop or slow the discolouring process and return some colour to your skin. Sometimes the patches stop forming without treatment.
The good news is that the condition is not fatal.
South Africans have praised Khumalo for her transparency about the condition, and see her as a role model and a voice for those discriminated against because of vitiligo.