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Kim Kardashian has revealed that her and ex-husband Kanye West’s son was diagnosed with a skin condition called vitiligo.
The mother of four shared that her son has vitiligo during a recent episode on Dr Thaïs Aliabadi and Mary Alice Haney’s SHE MD podcast, where Kardashian discussed her experiences with psoriasis. According to the Mayo Clinic, vitiligo is an autoimmune disease “that causes loss of skin color in patches,” with “discolored areas usually getting bigger with time.”
When describing her symptoms of psoriasis during her appearance on SHE MD, she shared that one of her children also has a skin condition.
“It came from my mom, it went to me, figuring out where did she get it. And, you know, I’ve passed it on in a different form to my son, who had vitiligo,” she said. “Very mildly.”
While she didn’t specify which of her children have vitiligo, Kardashian and West share two sons – Saint, eight, and Psalm, four – and two daughters, North, 10, and Chicago, six.
However, the Skims founder noted that her son’s condition is “under control,” before sharing how she’s learned more about vitiligo over time.
“I didn’t know anything about it, but having to learn about it and figuring out where it came from and [how] that’s hereditary,” she explained. “Just learning more and being able to share that with people [has been a blessing].”
During the episode, she also spoke candidly about her four children’s physical health, noting that they all “have a little bit of eczema.”
Since revealing her diagnosis in 2011, Kardashian has remained open about her psoriasis, which is “a skin disease that causes a rash with itchy, scaly patches, most commonly on the knees, elbows, trunk and scalp,” as noted by the Mayo Clinic. Speaking on SHE MD, she recalled one experience when her psoriasis flare-up was “covering [her] face” right before the 2022 Met Gala.
“When I started to get a little bit desperate was when it started to cover my face, and there was a spot really close to my eye, and it would just burn a little bit,” she explained. “I remember I had the Met Ball coming up that week and it was covering my face.”
When Hanley asked if the psoriasis on Kardashian’s face before the fashion event was “stress-related,” she wasn’t too sure.
“I’m trying to think of what I was going through at that time. There’s a lot I could say,” she explained. “But I think I manage my stress pretty well, so it’s shocking to me. Because I’ll be going through some really intense times, and nothing [no flare-ups].”
She noted that when she attended the 2022 Met Gala – where she wore Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress – her makeup artist covered up the rash on her face.
“We did put on concealer. And I remember him vividly saying, ‘It’s so crazy that your makeup is holding really well on it’. So he wasn’t concerned,” she explained, before confessing that she even tried to minimize the flare-up on her own before the event.
“I fell asleep with tar patches on my face and homeopathic creams. I was literally drinking my tar teas,” she said. “I was doing everything I could possibly do at that time.”
In January, the SKKN By KIM boss also gave fans a glimpse of her experiences with psoriasis on her Instagram Story. “How crazy is my psoriasis right now, guys?” she wrote in the caption of her post, which included a video of a large red rash on her leg. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I gotta figure this out. This is crazy.”
“Not sure what my triggers are. I haven’t changed my diet. I’ve tried everything!” she added. “I usually just have this spot, but now I can tell it’s going down my leg and up my leg and all up my thigh. So, I just know it’s time to figure this out.”
