CHENNAI: Despite not being a disease or a degenerating health condition, Leucoderma or white patches on the skin remain a strict no-no in matrimony, forcing most affected in the city to stay single.
Vitiligo, or discolouration of the skin caused by the death or non-functioning of the cells which are responsible for skin pigmentation, has affected nearly 36 lakh persons in the state, while across India, a whopping six crore are estimated to be suffering from it.
The skin problem has affected people largely in their marriageable age, from 13 to 40 years, thereby adversely affecting their marital life.
Understanding the magnitude of the problem and the societal stigma it causes, the state government recently passed a Government Order stating that Leucoderma is not a disease, and replaced the Tamil word for it ven kushtam (white leprosy) with ven pulligal (white dots).
Yet, all is not clearly well with those who suffer from Leucoderma, says K Umapathy, secretary of the Leucoderma Awareness Movement India, who has been spearheading a movement for the rights of these people for more than 13 years.
“Even though the government has clearly stated that it is not a disease, nobody wants to marry a person with vitiligo. In the last 13 years, despite thousands of such people seeking our help, we have been able to conduct marriage only for 12 people. That too, because both the brides and the grooms had the same skin problem. But even these weddings are not easy due to caste and religious differences,” he said.
Sripriya, a 38-year resident of the city, who is leucodermic, said stress was a big cause in increasing the skin spots of affected people.
“I noticed white spots near the joints of my fingers a few months after my marriage. Then my father passed away and his death increased the prevalence of patches manifold, clearly aggravated by stress,” she explained.
Though it is not genetic or harmful, there is a lot of stigma associated with the problem.
“There have been no cases of leucoderma in my family before me, but I know several women face problems while getting married. Many marriages have been cancelled upon knowing that the girl is suffering from this problem,” she says.
Umapathy concurs and adds that no established reasons have been found for Vitiligo.
“While the state government’s announcement — changing its name in Tamil is commendable — it should take measures to propagate the message that it is not a disease and people need not fear. More awareness should be spread so that it will help youngsters get married, as this problem is found to affect more women than men, for whom skin colour is an important criterion.”
(On the occasion of the World Vitiligo Day observed by the UN on Thursday)