The Indian Vitiligo Association Celebrates World Vitiligo Day on June 25th

The India Vitiligo Association on June 25th, 2022 celebrated World Vitiligo Day by conducting an awareness camp in Faridabad, NCR at Kisan Bhawan. As a non-profit organization, IVA aims to positively impact the lives of fellow vitiligo warriors by reducing stigma associated with the disease in India while making treatment more accessible and affordable for all patients alike.

 Dr. Samyak Dhawan talks about the importance of self acceptance for people with vitiligo

The number one symptom associated with vitiligo, as most people and doctors would believe is the appearance of white patches on the skin. However, Dr. Samyak Dhawan, Founder, Indian Vitiligo Association, firmly believes that depression and low self-esteem are the silent killers in Vitiligo, a disease that he thinks “Doesn’t kill you but kills your spirit”. Dr. Dhawan started this NGO so he could provide subsidized treatment for vitiligo patients around the country.

 Dr. Shailender Dhawan seen interacting with his patients

The event saw a gathering of more than 200 people and was backed by Kayakalp Global, India’s leading integrated dermatology Centre that provided free consultations to the patients. Renowned Ayurvedacharya, Dr. Shailender Dhawan was the primary treating physician on the panel who also presented his findings on the herb Gingko Biloba that has been proven efficacious in re-pigmentation for Vitiligo without any side-effects.

Dr. Munish Paul, MD presented his findings on Melanocyte Cell Transplant, a surgical technique used to treat harder to heal areas of Vitiligo in patients where vitiligo stops to responding to internal and external medicines.

Lastly Dr. Samyak Dhawan spoke on the NGO’s vision and how the team plans to use psycho-dermatology, a novel branch in dermatology that connects the skin with the brain and studies skin diseases that have a correlation with mind.

The event also saw popular blood test startup Healthians as a partner allowing patients to receive blood tests at a discounted price. “Health comes from within, and there is no way to treat the root cause of a disease without first knowing an individua’s baseline body parameters,” says Dr. Dhawan. The Indian Vitiligo Association supports everyone in their personal journey to self-acceptance and healing to the extent that the event also had an experienced team from Euro Cosmetics that conducted a workshop on color camouflaging for people who wish to cover up their white spots for social events.

An experienced team from the renowned pharmaceutical company, Biocon Pharmaceuticals were also present and were seen interacting with patients who were inquiring about their latest products that can help in Vitiligo. Biocon's Tacrolimus is the world leader in Vitiligo treatment and the Indian Vitiligo Association is humbled to have received their support. 

World Vitiligo day was initially known as Purple Fun day and is celebrated around the world on June 25th. It was first celebrated in memory of late King of Pop Michael Jackson, who suffered from vitiligo and died on 25th June 2009. 

About Indian Vitiligo Association

The IVA was founded by Dr. Samyak Dhawan, to combat the disease burden associated with Vitiligo in India. The NGO aims to make treatment affordable through treatment subsidy and reduce stigma associated with the disease via awareness and outreach programs for general population.

For more information, log on to: indianvitiligoassociation.com.

About Kayakalp Global

Started in the year 1992, Kayakalp Global is the brain child of Dr. Shailender Dhawan and Dr. Suman Dhawan. Kayakalp’s unique model is different from other providers since treatment provided here is customized based on patient’s past treatment history (use of steroids), disease severity, drug tolerance, allergy sensitivity, dietary preferences and other variables.

For more details log on to www.kayakalpglobal.com.