When I was seven years old, I started to notice small white patches appearing on my body and by the time I reached 11 they had spread all over. They were symmetrical, the same on each side.
I later discovered that I had vitiligo, a rare autoimmune skin condition which is characterised by the development of these light patches on the skin. They occur due to the loss of melanin, the cells responsible for skin colour. While vitiligo can affect any area of the body, for most people including me, it appears on the face, neck, hands, arms and legs.
