Spots and strength: Navigating life with vitiligo

When Li Jiahao discovered a white patch on her forehead about a decade ago, she didn't know that this personal experience would one day inspire her creative work.

Now working in Beijing as an animator and visual artist, the 24-year-old graduated from University of the Arts London (UAL) in 2024 with a master degree in Character Animation. Her graduation project, Colourful White, was an animated documentary exploring vitiligo – the very condition she has lived with since her teens.

The 4.5-minute animated film portrays vitiligo's challenges through the lives of four diverse individuals. It earned Li's team two awards, a nomination (British Short Film Awards), and multiple official selections, including London International Animation Festival and HiShorts! International Short Film Festival.

"For a creator, being able to resonate with someone, or to help more people understand this condition, is immensely fulfilling," Li said. "My teammates and I poured a lot of effort into this, and we wanted the work to be seen and recognized by more people."

"People often fear and reject things that are different or unfamiliar to them," she added. "I hope people can treat vitiligo patients as normal individuals."

Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune disorder where the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys melanocytes – the cells that produce melanin. This results in white patches on the skin, often appearing symmetrically on the face, hands, elbows or knees. It can also cause premature whitening of hair. The condition can cause significant emotional distress, anxiety or depression due to visible changes.

While not contagious or life-threatening, vitiligo may progress unpredictably. Triggers include genetics, stress or sunburn. There's no cure at present, but treatments like topical creams, light therapy or surgery can help restore color or even skin tone.

"During the one to two years after diagnosis, I sought medical treatment every week so that the white patch wouldn't get any larger," Li said, highlighting the importance of management.

She also advises fellow patients to focus on maintaining healthy lifestyle habits and minimizing psychological stress.

Key advances in treatment 

The global prevalence of vitiligo is approximately 0.5 percent to 2 percent. In 2021, the number of vitiligo patients in China was about 22.83 million. In recent years, the prevalence has been gradually increasing.

Vitiligo is challenging to treat due to its unclear causes and targets. In the early stage, treatment focuses on halting progression by suppressing abnormal immunity and stimulating melanocyte function with phototherapy to boost melanin. In the late stage, it may require surgical melanocyte transplantation. Doctors say achieving good results requires early diagnosis and consistent, long-term treatment.

For topical therapies, Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors have been the first approved drugs targeting vitiligo's immune root cause. They work by calming the overactive immune attack on pigment cells.

A recent novel approach from a Chinese company targets the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) in the skin. By regulating inflammation and protecting pigment cells, this potential treatment is now entering final-stage trials in China.