I have been diagnosed with 2 auto immune diseases which are not physically painful, but are nonetheless hard to deal with. I was diagnosed with alopecia areata at the age of 17, but luckily it did not progress far. I was left with a white streak of hair (where it gre back) though. I am always afraid it will come back.

The one that really bothers me though, is Vitiligo. I've had it since childhood (12? before 12?). It started around the time I started becoming anxious and depressed (diagnosed bipolar later). My dermatologist seems to think both of these disorders were stress induced.

Like i said, the alopecia is now dormant, but the vitiligo keeps getting worse. I feel like a freakshow most of the time, and usually refuse to wear shorts in the summer because of this. I miss out on things like going swimming because i am self-conscious. Luckily, the white splotches on my face are not as noticable as the ones on the rest of my body, and makeup ALMOST covers them (wonder if anyone knows of a really good makeup that would completely cover?).

I'd just like to hear from others who suffer from these autoimmune diseases. Also i wondered if there is any way to fix vitiligo or keep it from progressing...