Using Makeup To Cover Vitiligo

When you live with vitiligo, you may feel like you want to correct your skin discoloration. Many people with all different skin types struggle with this autoimmune condition. While some people embrace the way they look, differences, and all, it may make others feel self-conscious.  

Luckily there's always makeup if you want to even your complexion. When you know what shade to use and the proper technique, you can cover your vitiligo in no time. 

We are going to go over how you can cover your vitiligo with makeup, as well as exploring what vitiligo is and how you can treat the condition. You will also learn about things you should try to avoid if you have vitiligo. 

What Is Vitiligo?

Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease that causes areas of the body to become entirely devoid of color, resulting in large white patches of skin. People with darker skin tones experience a more dramatic contrast. 

Vitiligo is the result of your immune system not working correctly. A healthy immune system can distinguish between regular cells and invader cells, like virus cells. However, when you have an autoimmune disease like vitiligo, your immune system reacts by attacking your normal cells. 

Your immune system is actually fighting off your body's melanocytes, which generate melanin. The skin in certain areas of the body loses its color and becomes white when melanocytes stop producing melanin. It is a long-term skin condition that affects between 0.5 to 2% of people in the world, and scientists aren't totally sure what causes the immune system to malfunction in this way. 

Vitiligo is a photo-sensitive disorder, meaning that the affected areas of the skin are more sensitive to sunlight than the rest of the body. Autoimmune diseases can also be brought on by genetics, stress, genetic oxidative stress imbalance, severe sunburns, chemical exposure, neurological problems, viral assault, and more.

If you're not sure if you have vitiligo or something else, consider these symptoms. This condition creates flat white spots or patches of uneven color in areas of the skin frequently exposed to the sun. It starts small in an area and looks only slightly lighter than the rest of your skin before becoming paler and paler. 

The edges of these discolored patches can become inflamed and somewhat red, with itching on rare occasions. Vitiligo symptoms often range from a few little white spots to bigger white patches, depending on the person. You can always seek professional advice if you start to notice discoloration. 

How To Cover Vitiligo

Some people wear their vitiligo with pride and even embrace it, like supermodel Winnie Harlow. However, if you ever want to cover it up, there is always makeup! 

With premium-quality makeup, you can easily cover the pale areas of your skin. Let's go over how you can disguise your vitiligo with makeup so that no one can even tell it's there. 

Step 1: Find the Right Foundation

Finding the right foundation shade is crucial when it comes to hiding vitiligo with makeup. You want the foundation to be either the same shade as your skin tone or one shade darker.

There are several high-coverage foundations designed to cover anything, including vitiligo-affected skin. These foundations have formulations that won't irritate skin conditions. Look for a water-based and waterproof liquid foundation, like HIDE Premium Foundation. It is smudge-proof and can cover anything from vitiligo to tattoos. 

Remember to get a foundation that matches both your skin shade and your undertone. If you get the undertone wrong, it won't look right even if it's the correct shade. HIDE has a shade finder to help you select the right one. You may also need a concealer shade the same color as your foundation for extra coverage. 

Step 2: Prep Your Skin

Once you have the products that you need, you're ready to prep your skin for makeup. Cleanse your skin completely with a gentle cleanser that fits your skin type and apply a moisturizer, cream, or lotion. 

Makeup applies best to hydrated skin, so don't skip this step! You can also apply a primer to the area.

Step 3: Apply Foundation and Concealer 

Once your skin is prepped, it's time for makeup. Start by going over your white areas with a thin layer of foundation using a foundation brush or damp makeup sponge. 

Blend out your foundation onto your normal skin by buffing with your brush or gently dabbing with your sponge. After one or two thin layers of foundation, grab your concealer. Apply dots of concealer over the area with vitiligo and blend it out. 

When you finish blending, see how evenly your skin looks. If it still looks a little uneven, apply another thin layer of concealer. Make sure you allow your makeup to dry to your skin, about five minutes. 

Step 4: Set Your Makeup

Finally, it's time to set your makeup. Use a translucent setting powder and a fluffy powder brush to dust it over the area gently. It will lock your makeup in place and will help prevent any transfer or smudging. The powder will also help to even out your skin, absorb any excess oil on your skin, and remove shine.  

HIDE premium products are all transfer and sweat resistant as well as shine proof all on their own. They set themselves, so you don't have to worry. However, using a setting powder or spray can’t hurt if you need your makeup to last all day. 

How To Treat Vitiligo

There are several treatment options if you want to do more than just cover your vitiligo. 

Topical Steroids

One of the most common treatment options for vitiligo is topical steroids. Since this skin condition results from an overactive immune system, nearly every treatment involves some sort of anti-inflammatory. 

The most effective anti-inflammatories on the market are topical steroids. You need a dermatologist to get a prescription, but this option is relatively easy and effective. You don't want to overuse it, though, because it can cause skin thinning. 

Other Anti-Inflammatories

Since steroids can be too harsh for more sensitive areas of your body, there are also non-steroid anti-inflammatory options. Topical anti-inflammatories, like calcineurin inhibitors, are an excellent choice for these sensitive areas. 

You have to use them for longer before you see improvement, but they have fewer possible side effects than steroids. You can also use this option in addition to topical steroids. 

Light Therapy

Dermatologists often recommend light therapy for vitiligo. The sun emits a variety of light wavelengths, including UVA, UVB, and visible light. The radiation from these lights can have anti-inflammatory and pigmentation effects without the harmful effects of the sun. 

People have to go in for treatment two to three times a week for five to 10 minutes each for this therapy. The entire body or localized regions of vitiligo are treated, and you can see positive results regardless of the severity of the condition. 

There are also little to no adverse effects and can be a good option if you haven't seen improvement from topical treatments.

Vitamin D

Calcipotriene (Dovonex) is a vitamin D ointment that is used alongside corticosteroids. When used in conjunction with phototherapy, topical vitamin D can shorten the time for skin to re-pigment. However, it has not been clinically shown to make a big difference when used alone.  

Vitiligo Procedures

In addition to treatment options, there are a number of procedures available to cover vitiligo. 

Skin grafting is a surgical treatment that involves covering the damaged areas with healthy patches of pigmented skin. Your doctor will do this operation by transferring small pieces of healthy, pigmented skin to regions that have lost color. If you have tiny areas of vitiligo, this treatment may be used.

There is the possibility of getting an infection, scarring, a cobblestone look, or uneven color after skin grafting surgery. There is also blister grafting.  This surgery involves a doctor using suction to generate blisters on your pigmented skin, then transplanting the blisters onto discolored skin.

Scarring, a cobblestone look, and failure to recolor the area are all possible side effects of blister grafting. Suctioning may also cause skin injury, which might result in another vitiligo patch.

Another surgery option is the transplantation of cellular suspension. In this treatment, a doctor removes some pigmented skin tissue, dissolves the cells in a solution, and then transplants them to the vitiligo patches. Within four weeks, the benefits of this repigmentation process are visible.

Similar to the other surgery options, you can end up with scarring, infection, and uneven skin tone from this treatment.

If surgery isn't for you, you can also get tattooing over your vitiligo. A pigment that mimics your skin color is tattooed into the vitiligo patches.  

In Summary

Vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder that you can treat topically or with surgery. You can also cover your skin patches with makeup. HIDE premium products work great at evening skin tone, and the results will last all day!

 

Sources:

9 of the Most Effective Vitiligo Treatments | Byrdie

Vitiligo - Diagnosis and treatment | Mayo Clinic

Dovonex Topical: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing | Web MD