In this closing 2025 episode, we unpack four decades of National Institute of Health (NIH) data, compare vitiligo’s budget to other autoimmune and skin diseases, and explain the “industry twist”: tiny public dollars helped build the science, while the commercial market is now booming.

We also look at the big paradox: vitiligo research helped spark major ideas in modern medicine (think immune pathways that later shaped blockbuster therapies), yet the shared infrastructure vitiligo now needs — US-based biobanks, registries, and longitudinal cohorts — remains fragmented. Meanwhile, the commercial side is moving fast, with a billion-dollar market and crowded pipelines.

Read the full report in two parts:

The Vitiligo Paradox – Common Disease, Rare Funding

Who Gets to Do Vitiligo Science?

In this year-end episode, we walk through what VRF built in 2025 — from global advocacy and new research to education, AI support tools, and community partnerships — plus the uncomfortable truths that shaped our priorities for 2026.

Read the full report here: https://vrfoundation.org/news_items/vr-foundation-2025-year-end-report

Vitiligo may show up on your skin, but the drama starts lower down — in your gut, where trillions of microbes run the show. When that microscopic circus gets out of tune, your immune system can lose its mind.

Enter sucralose — that “harmless” fake sugar in your diet soda and protein shake. It tastes sweet, promises zero calories, and might just be quietly gaslighting your gut bacteria. The result? More inflammation, less balance, and a very confused immune system.

In this episode:

• How sucralose messes with your microbiome
• Why that matters if your immune system’s already on edge
• The fine line between calming inflammation and killing defense
• And why “sugar-free” doesn’t mean consequence-free

Your gut’s a garden, not a chemistry set. Sucralose won’t nuke it overnight — but it might slowly evict the good tenants and hand the keys to the troublemakers.

Full story: Sucralose, Your Gut, and Vitiligo – Should We Worry?

From Easter Island soil to modern skin science — meet rapamycin, the molecule that might just change vitiligo care.

Once known mainly as an anti-rejection drug for organ transplants, rapamycin is now being tested as a topical treatment that could both calm the immune attack and help pigment return. Early studies look promising: minimal side effects, slow but steady repigmentation, and surprisingly good tolerance.

In this episode, we explore:

• How rapamycin rewires the skin’s immune balance
• Why it’s called both a suppressor and a rejuvenator
• What Phase II trials are revealing so far
• And whether this “longevity drug” might also restore color to the skin

It’s too early to call it a breakthrough — but this little molecule from a far-off island might just be the next quiet revolution in vitiligo therapy.

Full story: Topical Rapamycin: Could This Be Vitiligo’s Next Big Breakthrough?

Vitiligo isn’t just skin deep — it’s a full-body story. Almost half of those living with it also face anxiety or depression, tied together by the same stress circuits that link the brain and the skin.

In this episode, we dive into how antidepressants affect both body and mind — and why that matters for vitiligo care.

You’ll hear:

• How stress hormones can trigger or worsen pigment loss
• What The Lancet revealed about antidepressant side effects
• Which medications support balance without tipping the scale
• Why therapy, sleep, and lifestyle still matter more than any pill

A grounded look at the skin–brain connection — and how healing the mind can help the skin follow.

Full story: Vitiligo and Mental Health: How Antidepressants May Shape the Body

What happens when a diagnosis becomes a movement?

In this episode, we follow vitiligo’s unlikely journey from clinic charts to concert stages — a story painted in art, music, film, and unapologetic self-expression. From rickshaw parades in Chandigarh to AI-generated portraits in Toronto and a wax figure at Madame Tussauds New York, creativity has become the heartbeat of World Vitiligo Day.

You’ll hear:

• How art and photography broke decades of silence
• How AI and digital media turned awareness into art
• How music, film, and pop culture gave vitiligo a voice
• And why visibility is no longer just about being seen — but being felt

This isn’t just about skin. It’s about courage, culture, and the wild power of creativity.

Where science meets emotion. Where pigment becomes poetry. Where millions stand up and say — this is me.

Full story: Vitiligo — A Global Creative Uprising

When we launched vitiligo.ai back in 2023, the idea was simple: make reliable information about vitiligo available to anyone, anywhere, in any language. What could possibly go wrong, right?

Fast forward two years — turns out AI can sound smart, act caring, and still be utterly clueless. It imitates empathy but doesn’t actually care. It oozes confidence but often has no idea what it’s talking about.

In this episode, Yan Valle — professor, researcher, and the slightly obsessive nerd behind vitiligo.ai — shares what really happens when you try to teach a machine to teach medicine. The wins, the fails, and the very human mess in between.

You’ll hear:

• Why AI gets the facts right but the feelings wrong
• How “AI therapists” can cross lines no human ever should
• Why biased data quietly poisons good science
• And what dermatology looks like when algorithms start calling the shots

AI is brilliant at answering questions — just not always the right ones.

This episode is a reminder that intelligence is easy to fake. Humanity isn’t.

Here's the long read

This one’s long overdue — but too important to ignore.

On May 24, 2025, the World Health Organization finally looked up from its stack of pandemics and cholesterol charts and said, “Oh right — skin diseases exist.” They’re now officially a global public health priority.

Took only 2 billion people and a few decades of collective itching, burning, and patching to get there.

In this episode, we break down what this shiny new WHO resolution actually means — and what it absolutely doesn’t. Vitiligo didn’t make the guest list (unless you’re psoriasis, Buruli ulcer, or Mycetoma — congrats, I guess), but the door to real recognition just cracked open.

We’ll talk about:

• Why this resolution matters — even if it’s 90% PR and 10% progress
• How patient advocates quietly dragged skin health onto WHO’s radar
• What it’ll take to turn this bureaucratic “maybe” into something that actually helps people

It’s not the revolution — it’s the prelude.

But hey, after years of being ignored, even a polite nod from Geneva feels like a small win.

Here’s the original post