There are so many health challenges in the world that can have a genetic component and vitiligo is one of them. But, vitiligo is very much visible on the skin, so we see so many young men and women with vitiligo keep worrying if they are going to pass on this stigmatized skin challenge to their children also at some point of time in future?

Not just married people but even the unmarried young generation also remains concerned about this possibility a lot.

Here in India, in fact a lot of young women and men (with vitiligo) of marriageable age face problems with marriage because of this risk.

The probability of passing on vitiligo genes from a mother or father to the child exists, but, it’s all about chance. I mean, there is no sure shot method to confirm if it will happen in your case or not.

So, just like so many other uncertainties if vitiligo is going to affect your studies, career, or love life, this brand new uncertainty will also be added to the mix. But, living with vitiligo, all of us have developed a ‘thick’ skin and become stronger.

Right?

So, whatever be the outcome, we shall handle this challenge as well.

I am not a doctor or medical expert, but being a woman living with vitiligo for more than a decade, I have done some research on the internet and here goes my opinion on this matter.

Vitiligo and Genetics – What does the research say?

As per various case studies and research trials, genetics play a role in 20-30% cases. (1) It means, for 20 to 30% people with vitiligo, someone in their immediate family or close relatives also have vitiligo.

When I say ‘immediate family’, it means mother, father or siblings and when I say ‘close relatives’, I mean grandparents (maternal and paternal, both) and uncles and aunts and first cousins.

It’s quite a big mix, right?

Now, if we have to separate out only those cases where vitiligo passes on from either of the parents to the children, the chances should be way less than the total figure of 20-30%, maybe somewhere 10% or even less. (2)

So, first of all, it is a big sigh of relief that it’s not 100%, right?

It means, it is not a guarantee that vitiligo runs in generations. The fact of the matter is that it is quite unlikely to happen.

So, just chill! 😊

If not genetics, what are the other triggering factors for vitiligo?

Now, the next obvious question is- what happens in those 70-80% cases where the genetic component doesn’t exist?

Well, vitiligo is not caused due to any external bacteria, infection, or microorganism, but our immune system goes faulty and starts attacking body’s own healthy skin cells to cause skin de-pigmentation.

Apart from genetics, the other possible triggers for this immune system malfunctioning are: –

• Chronic stress and anxiety
• Poor gut health
• Poor liver health
• Over consumption of steroidal and certain other medications
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Skin injuries
• Strep throat or similar infections
• Exposure to environmental toxins
• and many more

Actually the medical world and doctors are still researching to identify the exact cause for this autoimmunity, so how can I pinpoint the exact cause, right?

But, we can only list down the few of the most common culprits as I did above.

So, according to the medical science, hereditary is just one of the possible reasons for this autoimmune reaction.

In other words, heredity is not the only villain here, but it’s a whole gang of culprits here.

Can faulty genes alone trigger vitiligo?

Going further, there is a general consensus in the medical fraternity that genetics alone can trigger vitiligo in only a few cases and faulty genes do need one more reason such as too much stress or poor gut health or exposure to environmental toxins to become powerful enough to develop vitiligo symptoms.

In other words, when I will get married, my child will have slightly higher chance than his/her peers to develop vitiligo because of her mother.

But, this genetic factor will become more lethal if s/he has a very stressed life or gets ill too often and consume a lot of pharma steroidal drugs or may be s/he got a compromised digestive health.

Hope it makes sense to you?

So, stop worrying too much because literally you cannot do anything about this genetic component. There is no device or medicine or anything available yet that can tell you in advance if your child is going to get vitiligo or not.

Just keep enjoying life as it comes to you because stress is bad for you and hopefully, your children will not develop vitiligo if you can teach them to live a healthy, balanced life.

Teach your child to be confident in his/her skin

Let’s assume for a minute that your child inherits the vitiligo causing genes and develops this skin condition.

So what?

Being a parent with vitiligo, you can educate your child about the non-harmful nature of the white spots and also nurture self-confidence and acceptance in him/her towards these innocent patches.

Making your child feel self-confident is the key; making them feel confident in their skin is what matters the most.

Empower your child with the correct information that vitiligo does not reduce physical or mental capability in anyway and s/he should not consider herself/himself inferior in any way.

There will be times when society will try to pull them down but it is very much important that the parents stand by their children and make them understand about it.

Parents should not urge their children to hide their white patches or to cover up vitiligo.

They should give an assurance to their children that there is unconditional love and acceptance from their side no matter what. Emphasis should be put on the actual skills and talents that are to be nurtured as vitiligo is not going to stop them from doing anything or achieving any goal they set to chase.

Vitiligo is neither painful not dangerous; it just makes you look different from others and that’s cool! ✌💪