By Emily Joshu, Dailymail.Com Health Reporter
17:56 January 23, 2024, Updated 17:56 January 23, 2024
- Iomikoe Johnson, 43, claims her skin color changed after two strokes.
- Johnson has vitiligo, an autoimmune disease that causes skin to lose its color.
- Read more: First-ever home vitiligo treatment approved by FDA
A Texas woman who suffers from vitiligo claims two strokes caused her skin to change color and return to its normal tone.
Iomiko Johnson, 43, was diagnosed with vitiligo at the age of 25. Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease that causes patchy loss of skin color.
Johnson, who is black, estimates that about 60 percent of her body has turned white as a result of her condition.
However, after experiencing two strokes, she began to notice that her vitiligo symptoms were beginning to improve. She believes this may have something to do with the medication she was prescribed after her stroke.
Vitiligo is a chronic disease that occurs when pigment-producing skin cells are attacked and destroyed, resulting in a person’s skin turning milky white.
There is currently no cure for this condition, but certain treatments may help restore lost skin color.
Usually, skin color first begins to change around body openings such as the hands, face, genitals, or mouth.
People with vitiligo may also notice that the hair on their scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, or beards turn white or gray early.
This condition can affect people of all skin types, but is usually most noticeable in people with black or brown skin.
Experts estimate that 2.8 million Americans are affected by vitiligo and 70 million people worldwide are affected by the condition.
Johnson said, “One day I woke up with dark spots under my eyes and under my arms. I consulted my doctor, who recommended that I see a dermatologist, and after that visit, I was diagnosed with vitiligo.”
Her condition gradually worsened, white spots appeared all over her body, and one morning in 2020, she woke up with slurred speech and blurred vision.
She said: “I told my husband that I was not feeling well and needed to go to the hospital.
“They discovered I had a stroke.”
Three years later, she suffered another stroke and collapsed while walking.
“So I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t talk, I lost all motor skills. I also had to undergo physical therapy to regain my strength and function,” she said.
“I had six weeks of physical therapy.”
Tests revealed that Johnson suffers from a blood clotting disorder that causes blood clots to form throughout the body. This can increase the risk of stroke, which occurs when blood supply to parts of the brain is cut off.
Since her stroke, Johnson claims that some of her pigmentation – the amount of melanin in her skin that determines its color – has returned to what it was before vitiligo began.
“Some of the pigmentation has come back,” she said. She was “shocked to see the repigmentation of her nose.”
Johnson said most of the changes she saw were in her nose and forehead.
She believes a combination of seven drugs she takes to reduce her risk of stroke may have caused the repigmentation.
These often include antiplatelet drugs, such as aspirin, which prevent platelets (the part of blood that helps clot) from clumping together to form blood clots. Anticoagulants are also commonly selected to reduce the risk of blood clots.
Researchers suggest that some drugs, such as anti-inflammatory drugs, malaria preventives, and antipsychotics, can cause skin discoloration.
However, the British Heart Foundation suggests that discoloration caused by drugs such as blood thinners could be caused by bruising.
However, the stroke itself can cause a change in skin color.
The American Stroke Association says about 30 to 40 percent of stroke survivors suffer from complications, including pain in the head, muscles, joints, shoulders, and nerves.
The agency says one of the signs of pain after a stroke is a change in skin color, along with numbness, tingling, burning, pain and decreased range of motion.
This can also lead to changes in skin texture.
“Over time, insufficient oxygen and nutrient supply can cause changes in the texture of the skin on the affected limb,” says the American Stroke Association.
“In some cases, it becomes shiny and thin; in other cases, it becomes thick and scaly. Avoiding painful skin contact or washing can encourage this buildup. Masu.”
As Johnson continues to take stroke prevention medication, she is unsure whether her skin color will continue to change. However, she started modeling and became comfortable in her own skin.
“I wouldn’t care if all the pigmentation came back, but it would confuse my family because I’ve lived with vitiligo for over 20 years,” she said.
“But either way, it’s me. I’m still beautiful, so I don’t care.
“I love the way my skin is. I don’t care at all what people think because I’m beautiful and unique in my own way.”
“I own myself and live my life the way I am.”