Model with vitiligo says strangers they avoided getting too close because they mistakenly believed the situation was rarely contagious.
Roger Monte, 37, from Rio De Janeiro in Brazil, first improved his skin condition when he was just 23 and now has white patches on his skin due to a lack of melanin, which is caused by the situation.
Roger was left feeling devastated when he saw the white patches develop, and it came to an end spiral depressed.
Over the next ten years, Roger was so unhappy with his appearance that he was unable to look at himself in the mirror and would thick make up the white patches to try to hide them.
As well as feeling down about what he saw in the mirror, Roger also had a face prejudice from strangers and say people he avoided sitting near public transport.
One stranger even told Roger that he should be in a circus because he ‘looks like a clown’.
However, he turned a corner in 2016 after making new friends at the gym that made him feel good comfortable enough to show his skin.
Now, Roger loves his unique looks and happily shares photos of himself on Instagram or standing for photoshoots.
Roger said: “Seeing my skin lose pigmentation was horrible for me. I thought my life, which had almost even begun, was over by then.
“I had a few dark years and I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror.
“I did not accept my condition at all and started using makeup to disguise my spots.
“I had avoided people sitting next to me on public transport, thinking that my vitiligo was something they could catch by being close to me.
“One person said I should be in the circus because the spots on my mouth make me look like a clown.
13 days ago“When I discovered that vitiligo can develop due to emotional stress, I blamed it every day.
“I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror and put on my clothes to cover my vitiligo for ten long years.
“It felt like I was being held as an enemy. I didn’t like going to the beach or the gym or anything that made me sweat.
“In 2016, I met some amazing new friends who started making me see my spots as something special and beautiful.
“One day, I woke up, took out my cell phone, took a picture and posted it on Instagram. I had never gotten a picture of myself getting so many ideas and such.
“People I hadn’t seen in years praised my skin and said they had never noticed I had the disease.
“I even had a boy who had also been hiding his own vitiligo with makeup contact me saying my posts were inspired to stop his skin hiding.
“So I started posting more and more. On one of my posts, I got an idea from a photographer who wanted to take a picture for me.
“I was shy and completely raw in front of the camera, but I was understood that I was happy to be there. “
Roger hopes that by sharing his paintings – and his story – more people will be inspired to embrace their natural beauty.
He said: “Today, I am really happy. I love spending hours on the beach, outdoors and feeling the sun on my skin.
“If my pictures can help other people to accept their real people, I’m happy.
“I made the camera my friend compared to my enemy and I can’t wait to see what’s on the horizon.”