Cosmopolitan UK - 04.2020

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AS TOLD TO DANIELLA SCOTT. PHOTOGRAPHS INSTAGRAM @BEING_JUST_US

w


Natalie Ambersley,37, an executive


assistant from London, talks about living


with the skin-pigmentation condition


hen
I was
three, I
developed a small white
patch on the back of
my hand. Back then,
vitiligo (a condition
where pigment is lost
from the skin) wasn’t
well known, so when my
parents took me to the
doctor, they were just
told to keep an eye
on it. By the time I was
five, and had my vitiligo
diagnosed, 75% of my
body wascovered in
whitepatches. I was too
young to know what was

going on, but my
parents were worried
and tried to find
treatment for me. I was
in and out of hospital
a lot – it became like
a second home. By the
time I was 12, I’d been
through so many rounds
of tablets, creams and
homeopathy that I felt
like a guinea pig. I told
my parents I wanted
to stop, and they were
so supportive.
In my teenage years,
though, I grew more
uncomfortable. It
seemed like I was the

only person in
the world with
this condition.
When we had
swimming
lessons at
school, I’d
forge letters
from my mum
so I didn’t have
to go. On
holiday with friends in
Spain, I’d be boiling in
thick tights and ablazer.
If someonestared at
me, I’d immediately
cover up more.
When I turned 30 I
decided to try treatment

again. I’d heard of
something called UVB
narrowband therapy,
where you stand in a
booth emitting UVB light
to try to help your skin
repigment. There was
only a 50-50 chance it

would work, and it gave
me an increased risk
of skin cancer. The
appointments were
quite disruptive too –
twice a week for a year


  • but I wanted to try
    it. Three months in, I
    began to get my natural
    skin colour back, and
    after a year, I finished
    the treatment. I still had
    vitiligo, but I was now
    30% affected, rather
    than 75%.
    That was seven years
    ago, and although the
    patches are starting to
    return I won’t go back
    to treatment. A few
    years ago I was invited
    on a TV show to talk
    about my condition. At
    first I was adamant that
    I couldn’t do it, but
    eventually I came round
    to the idea and that was
    a turning point. After
    the programme aired,
    people started to send
    me supportive messages
    and I had the realisation
    that it was OK.
    Now, I feel liberated.
    I look down at my
    legs and think I’d be
    horrified if I woke up
    and my vitiligo wasn’t
    there; it would be like
    I had erased something
    that made me who I am.
    I’m proud to have a skin
    condition I now love.
    For support, contact
    The Vitiligo Society;
    Vitiligosociety.org


WHAT
HELPS
NATALIE

Put yourself first
I was so busy worrying about
what people thought that I missed
out on a lot. But I was the only one
suffering, and once I realised that,
I started living my life.

36 ·^ COSMOPOLITAN


move health


with vitiligo


Use social media
Seeing yourself represented
helps to remind you you’re not alone,
and that you’re part of something
positive. I like @livingdappled and
@vitiligo_and_me on Instagram.

Life in


my


body...


1 2 3 Talk to others
There were times when I had
questions and I would DM people on
Instagram for guidance. Connecting
with others who understood how
I felt made such a huge difference.

A p p e a r i n g
on Victoria
Derbyshire’s
TV Show
Free download pdf