NY Vitiligo

by Katrina Martin Bordeaux

Katrinna Martin Bordeaux is a Registered Nurse and Chair of the National Action Network Health Committee.

Katrina Martin Bordeaux

As a registered nurse and Chair of the National Action Network Health Committee, I work every day to promote equity in health care – and to ensure that everyone has access to the treatments they need, regardless of their color of their skin or zip code. That commitment extends to patients living with conditions that have too often been overlooked by our healthcare system, including diseases like vitiligo.

Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune disease impacting roughly 200,000 New Yorkers, in which the body’s own immune system destroys the pigment-producing cells responsible for skin color. It leaves patients with spreading white patches that can cover the face, hands, and body.

Moreover, because vitiligo is driven by immune system dysfunction, patients face a significantly elevated risk of developing other serious conditions. Among the most concerning is thyroid disease, which can become life-threatening without proper treatment.

Beyond its physical toll, vitiligo carries a profound social burden. Patients routinely face discrimination and stigma because of the visible nature of their condition. Unfortunately, that prejudice follows them into every corner of their lives, from personal relationships to professional opportunities. Studies have shown that a significant number of employers are unwilling to hire individuals with vitiligo out of fear of losing out on potential clients, effectively shutting patients out of career advancement and economic opportunity.

The weight of this discrimination takes a devastating psychological toll. Research published in Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health found that as many as one in four people living with vitiligo experience suicidal thoughts, a stark reminder of the real human cost of dismissing this disease.

There are several vitiligo treatments available that look to help patients manage their condition. However, lotions, creams, light treatments, and even surgeries have only limited the impact of vitiligo. Now, medical professionals have recently welcomed the arrival of an FDA approved treatment, which has displayed significant pigmentation regeneration and could be a game changer in the lives of vitiligo patients.

Yet despite the availability of new treatments, vitiligo patients continue to face significant barriers to accessing the care that could transform their lives. Some private and public healthcare coverage plans have spurned the idea of covering proven vitiligo treatments, stemming from the long held belief that this is a cosmetic condition.

This could not be further from the truth. The National Institutes of Health, the American Academy of Dermatology, and other medical organizations have explicitly stated that vitiligo is a real disease that requires treatment. Every day we allow this outdated perception to persist is another day patients are denied the treatments they need and deserve.

New York State must recognize vitiligo for what it truly is — a serious autoimmune disease with real and lasting consequences for patients and communities across our state. That means supporting healthcare providers, educating policymakers, and ensuring that patients are never denied access to the treatments they need because of an outdated and uninformed perception of their disease.