Jackson’s vitiligo revealing

By STARITA SMITH

One thing we can learn from Michael Jackson’s life is a greater awareness of the skin disease he had.

Jackson suffered from vitiligo, an autoimmune system disease affecting 1 million to 2 million Americans that causes stark white patches in the skin.

Although early on Jackson used makeup to even his skin color, he eventually chose a treatment option, suggested for people whose white patches cover more than 50 percent of their bodies, to have all his pigment removed.

The expensive permanent treatment left him completely white and the target of scurrilous critics and comics who said Jackson did not want to be black.

Only a few public figures have talked about the challenge of vitiligo. Black Detroit television newsman Lee Thomas wrote a memoir called “Turning White.” And John Wiley Price, a Dallas County commissioner, spoke about how he uses makeup and other treatments to deal with pale patches caused by vitiligo on his deep brown face.

Depending on the kind of disorder, some wear wigs to hide bald spots and unusual hair color; some wear heavy makeup; some get specialized treatments to alleviate pain and other symptoms. All face the world armed with their courage.

Important clues

Doctors like Dr. Anthony Peterson, a dermatologist at Loyola University Hospital, now believe that vitiligo holds important clues to the nature of melanoma, arthritis, lupus and many other autoimmune diseases. There is a growing list of organizations doing research on vitiligo as part of their mission to discover the genetic links among various disorders and provide support and better treatment to people who have a variety of diseases.

Among them are the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (one of the National Institutes of Health), the American Academy of Dermatology, the National Vitiligo Foundation, the American Vitiligo Research Foundation, and Vitiligo Support International.

So if you have ever sung along with Michael Jackson, or tried to do the moonwalk (and who hasn’t?), one of the best tributes you can give him is to learn about skin diseases, join efforts to advocate for research funding and support organizations that help children and families deal with these conditions.

X Starita Smith is an instructor in sociology at the University of North Texas in Denton and a writer for Progressive Media Project, a source of liberal commentary on domestic and international issues; it is affiliated with The Progressive magazine. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.