Hello ,
Summer is almost over.
For some families, that means backpacks, new teachers — and the familiar question: "What do we say if somebody asks about the spots?"
For the rest of us, August brought its own reality check: conflicting research, people betting on clinical trials, questions about vitiligo and military service, and preparations for World Vitiligo Day in Goa.
Coffee ready? Here’s what you may have missed.
Back to school with vitiligo
The first weeks of school can mean questions, staring or teasing for children with vitiligo.
We updated our guide to vitiligo books for kids and their parents, with newer titles, old favorites, classroom picks and stories about confidence, friendship and bullying.
Vitiligo and hearing: another study, another number
Last year, a small study reported hearing loss in nearly 60% of adults with vitiligo tested. A newer analysis puts it closer to 15%. Quite a difference.
Neither number gives us the final answer. Different patients, different methods, different limitations. A useful reminder that one study is a data point, not a verdict.
People are betting on clinical trials
Prediction markets have discovered drug development. People can now bet on whether Phase 3 trials succeed or whether the FDA approves a drug.
Patients volunteer for trials. Scientists analyze them. Regulators review them. Now somebody can apparently bet twenty dollars on the outcome. And that's potentially bad news for biopharma companies.
Vitiligo in uniform
Can someone with vitiligo join the military? Stay in service? Claim that vitiligo was caused or worsened by service?
National rules differ, accession and retention use different standards, and specialized occupations may be stricter. Compare fitness rules and unlock your VA benefits.
World Vitiligo Day continues
World Vitiligo Day 2026 did not quite end in Chandigarh.
At the follow-up conference in Goa, we turn toward the human side of vitiligo — the journey from diagnosis through treatment, emotional health, family, education and work.
Also on the agenda: the National Vitiligo Atlas of India and the announcement of the host city for World Vitiligo Day 2027.
Your experience belongs in the data
The Vitiligo Patient Views Study by VIPOC is collecting experiences from people with vitiligo and caregivers worldwide.
Closes today, August 31. Twenty to thirty minutes. Sixteen languages. Every voice counts.
We spend plenty of time talking about what patients need. This time, we are asking.
Big news for oral therapies in vitiligo
Two developments landed almost back-to-back: Rinvoq became the first systemic medicine approved for vitiligo in the European Union and United Arab Emirates, while Litfulo reported positive Phase 3 results.
Different drugs. Different milestones. Same bigger story: oral treatment for vitiligo is moving from clinical trials into real-world medicine.
Three new episodes
Three rather different rabbit holes.
The prescription you won’t find in a pharmacy (Ep. 73)
Which vitiligo books actually help children understand difference, build confidence and deal with school?
Vitamin D megadoses: hope, hype, or hospital trip? (Ep. 72)
The Coimbra Protocol, intriguing biology, thin evidence — and very real risks.
From Dr. Google to Dr. AI (Ep. 71)
What happens when we stop searching for information and simply ask a machine what to think?
September usually marks the end of summer. Around here, it looks more like the beginning of the next season.
Goa is coming. New research projects are moving ahead. New treatments are advancing through the pipeline.
So yes — school is back. Apparently, so are we.
— Yan Valle
CEO, Vitiligo Research Foundation
Independent information still needs someone to pay for the coffee.
This newsletter stays free so anyone living with vitiligo can read it without hitting a paywall. That only works if enough people decide the work is worth supporting.
If you find it useful, buy us a coffee and a muffin. Technically that is a small donation. Practically it keeps the research, the fact-checking and the writing moving.
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