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When Breanne Rice was only 19 years old, she was diagnosed with vitiligo, a disease that causes patches of skin to lose their pigmentation, appearing pale next to a person’s original skin tone.
The loss of pigmentation began on her cheeks, when she first noticed that a patch of skin was lighter than the surrounding area.
Rice chose to ignore it – until the problem began to spread down her cheekbones and she began to develop problems with her digestive system.
Her primary doctor could couldn’t figure out what was causing Rice so many health problems.
It was only after Rice consulted a naturopathic doctor that she discovered she was allergic to a host of foods including gluten, dairy, eggs, peanuts, almonds, sesame seeds, and other forms of protein. Rice’s constant consumption of these foods, her doctor speculated, had caused chronic inflammation in her digestive tract.
This health strain ultimately caused Rice’s immune system to fight back by developing an autoimmune condition – vitiligo.
There is no way of combating this disease, so Rice had to completely overhaul her diet to help her digestive and immune system to establish a new equilibrium.
As the symptoms of vitiligo began to appear, Rice learned how to do her makeup extraordinarily well – so well, in fact, no one aside from her parents even knew she had this condition. She would wear at least a layer of foundation everywhere she went, even the gym.
For years, Rice spent 45 minutes every morning just to put on her foundation. “I wanted to look normal so I hid my skin whenever I went out,” Rice admitted. “I was afraid to tell people how I looked.”
As a model, she would even show up to shoots with a layer of foundation already coated on her face to hide her vitiligo, and vehemently denied any accusations of already wearing makeup when anyone asked.
Now, however, Rice has “learnt [sic] to be [her]self.” She says, “I know I’m not perfect, and I use this to empower other women.”
Many people still stare at her when she steps into public without her full covering of makeup, but Rice has taken to telling herself, “They look at you because you’re beautiful.”
Rice is now finally able to feel confident in showing her true face and saying, “This is me.”
