10 beautiful women with vitiligo, photographed by a photographer with the same condition

Elizabeth Van Alderen has achieved a lot. After graduating from the Utrecht Art School, she applied to the photography department of the Fotovakschool in Amsterdam. She has since worked in the fashion industry as a stylist and art director but eventually quit her job to pursue her dreams of becoming a photographer. However, about 8 years ago, when she was 25, something appeared that tried to slow Elizabeth down. Vitiligo. A condition in which a lack of melanin results in white patches on the skin.

“I got tiny white spots on my left arm,” Elizabeth said. “After a few weeks, the little spots turned into one big spot. That's when it all started. Today, 60% of my skin is covered with vitiligo."

Most people who live with vitiligo have these patches on several areas of their body.

10 PHOTOS

1. “When I was diagnosed, I started skin therapy: creams, brightening therapy, gluten-free diet, vegetarian diet, no sun, lots of sun, yoga. I tried everything,” Elizabeth said.

2. “Nothing helped. In the end, I stopped these procedures because I did not want my life to be like this. I couldn't change the fact that I had vitiligo, so I started taking it."

3. The photographer thinks she has vitiligo for a reason. “This is my biggest and most difficult journey of self-acceptance.”

3. The photographer thinks she has vitiligo for a reason. “This is my biggest and most difficult journey of self-acceptance.”

5. “During my daily work as a photographer, people asked me a lot of questions about my skin. It made me think: why not use these two experiences, photography and the condition of my skin? Photography is a wonderful way to document the vitiligo body. This is an ode to its beauty and uniqueness."

6. Elizabeth called her project "Shades of Pale" and intended to spread awareness of this condition. "About 60 million people around the world suffer from vitiligo, but there are many people who don't know what it is," she explained. “I also want to tell the story of strong women who embrace their beauty, which in this case sets them apart from others. I want to show women who love their skin.

7. I don't want people to look at vitiligo as something bad. When it comes to beauty, I believe that there is nothing wrong. All kinds of beauty must be comprehensive. Beauty can be whatever you want."

8. “I have photographed women from all over the world who come in all shapes and colors,” Elizabeth said. “Age varies from 20 to 50 years. For them, this experience was not only a way of self-expression. He was also incredibly therapeutic. About 90% of them were not in front of the camera. They really got out of their comfort zone.

9. Very pleased that the photo session contributed to their self-confidence. For many of the women I have photographed, it has been a process of healing and acceptance. It's great that there's such a large social media community that I've been able to connect with all these wonderful people. It's been such a positive journey for me and for those I've photographed."

10. There is still no known way to prevent or cure the disease. Doctors usually suggest improving the appearance of affected skin with cosmetics and corticosteroid creams. Other common solutions include re-pigmentation of white skin using ultraviolet light therapy or skin lightening in intact areas or a skin graft.