Nope, its not Leprosy ...

... its an auto immune disease called Vitiligo - yeah, just like Michael Jackson has!

It is very visible at the moment because of my tan. The brown area is tan, the pink is my skin with the Vitiligo. Every summer it appears visibly larger.

This began somewhere in time between having the kids (92 - 95) - just areas in between my fingers which didn't tan in the summer.

Apparently, its very rare - affecting one or two people out of every hundred ... although I believe it to be genetic because my aunt and a great aunt (on my Dad's side of the family) have this too.

You can Google the name of the disease if you like - it comes up with various stories, alternative medicine, laser treatments, etc.

I just wanted to draw attention to the fact that it is NOT contagious, nor is it the beginning of Leprosy (honestly, folks have asked me that in the past), and it is not a scar from an accident.

As I was cuddling a friends baby at the weekend, I became acutely aware of the fact that my hands wrapped around this little bundle were being viewed just as much as he was! I'm not embarrassed by it at all, I just don't like the thought of people thinking that they can catch it from me!

It is appearing elsewhere on my body too - toes, elbows, hips, underarms, even around my mouth and eyebrows. The funny thing is that I'll notice a new outbreak, then several days later I'll notice a new patch on the other side of my body in exactly the same place. So mine has symmetry!

Areas of my body which have not seen sunshine in over 20 years - i.e. my hips, are affected, so Vitiligo is definitely not caused or accelerated by the sun. I wouldn't mind showing off my hips right now (with my weight loss), but only on a beach ... Hawaii springs to mind, but a Greek Island called Rhodes would be perfect (if you're ever wondering what to do for our 20th ... Craig ...?)

One day soon, I'll visit the dermatologist. I've read that treatments can be very hit and miss, and its not like its a serious condition, although it can be linked to other auto immune diseases, for example diabetes (which I have). Maybe I should follow up on that doctor referral after all ...

I count my blessings that I'm a white girl who can get away without covering it up too much for the time being.

Some people with darker skin suffer greatly through this disease. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4075652 tells the story of Lee Thomas, a black news reporter with Vitiligo.

It can also turn your hair white, if it appears on your scalp - hmmmm..... so that's nothing to do with my age right ...?

Does anybody else have this disease running in their family?