Model, business owner, and mother-of-four Iomikoe Johnson, 37, from Lake Charles, Louisiana has finally managed to embrace her vitiligo Iomikoe Johnson, 37, from Louisiana first noticed spot of white skin at 25
Would spend hour a day covering patches with make-up and wore long sleeves
Fiancé told her she was beautiful and persuaded her to throw away make-up
Is now a model and hopes to empower other people with condition
A grandmother has bared all to show that 'beauty is beyond skin' after learning to embrace the vitiligo which will one day turn her skin completely white and previously left her suicidal.Model, business owner, and mother-of-four Iomikoe Johnson, 37, from Lake Charles, Louisiana first noticed a tiny spot of white skin under her arm 12-years ago. At first, she thought she had cancer but it then spread to her eyes and genital area. At just 25-years-old, Iomikoe was scared that she would be bullied for being 'two different colours' after spending her childhood being taunted for having dark skin.
Iomikoe contemplated taking her own life as strangers would stare at her in the streets with some even refusing to shake her hand.
She would spend up to an hour a day on her makeup to cover up and would only wear long sleeved clothes.
It wasn't until her fiancé Phillip told her that he loved her no matter what that she decided to ditch the makeup bag.
With the support of her family, Iomikoe has found the confidence to stop covering up with make-up and wearing long sleeved tops
The condition started when Iomikoe was 25, and began with small white patches of skin on her arms
'I got vitiligo when I was twenty-five-years-old and I'll never forget it, I was devastated, I felt like my world had been shattered,' she said.
'My first spot was under my arm where no one could see. When I was a kid, I used to get bullied for having dark skin and now I'm two different colours, so I feared I would have to re-live that experience all over again.
'It was painful and devastating I even thought of taking my own life many times, but I had kids which kept me going.
'People used to look at my hands and not want to touch me and they didn't want to shake my hand. People stared and said very mean, disrespectful things to me and children were afraid of me.
Vitiligo occurs when the cells that produce melanin, the pigment that determines the color of skin, die or stop functioning.
This causes slowly enlarging white patches of irregular shapes to appear on the skin over time.
Vitiligo affects all races, but may be more noticeable in people with darker skin.
The exact cause of the condition is unknown, although many experts believe that it is an autoimmune condition in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys certain cells.
There is no cure and the goal of treatment, which can include ointments and skin grafts, is to stop or slow the progression of pigment loss.
Iomikoe has four children and two grandchildren and says that despite initially being petrified of her vitiligo, she loves being different and wouldn't be able to exist without it.
She admits that her family encouraged her to embrace it and she's now a model and wants the world to see her body as art, walking human art.
'Well it would take me forty-five minutes to an hour to put makeup on to cover spots and it was becoming very tiring,' she explained.'My fiancé told me that I didn't need to do it anymore because he loves me no matter if I wore makeup or not. One day I woke up and I saw this picture on my Facebook of Winnie Harlow, the vitiligo model and I was like oh my god she's so beautiful.She has the same skin disease as me and she embraced her beauty so I thought why shouldn't I do the same. I woke up one day and I didn't put on any makeup and since that day I haven't worn makeup I was tired of people defining what they think is beautiful and it was my job to show them that beauty is beyond skin.
Now Iomike is a model and wants the world to see her body as art, walking human art
'I love the skin I'm in, I'm so proud to be who I am,' Iomikoe says of her vitiligo
Iomikoe in the early days of her condition which started with a small spot under her arm (left). One day her body will be completely white, but she's finally comfortable with that
'My mom cried when I decided not to wear makeup anymore, she said she was so proud of me, my dad and my sisters all told me that I was so beautiful.
'My children love me no matter what, they all cheer me on they are all proud of me they love me despite of my skin they love me because of who I am and what I represent and they are my biggest cheerleaders, they encouraged me to be myself and embrace my beauty.
'I want the world to see my art. I'm walking art, human art..'
Iomikoe used to spend an hour a day covering her skin with make up but now she's learned to love her white patches
Around one percent of the world's population or around 50-million people have vitiligo.
Iomikoe has non-stop segmental vitiligo which has turned into universal vitiligo which will see her body turn completely white. She wants others to embrace who they are.
'I absolutely love myself, I love the skin I'm in, I'm so proud to be who I am I feel like vitiligo is my suit of armour and I think I am absolutely freaking gorgeous,' she added.
The mother-of-four now sees vitiligo as her suit of armour and feels 'absolutely freaking gorgeous'
Iomikoe as a teenager, before she started experiencing symptoms of vitiligo
The model hopes her example will inspire other people and stop the judgments
'I'm spotted with a purpose, it was who god created me to be, I feel like it is my job to show the world what I define as beautiful, I am a vitiligo goddess and I am proud to be uniquely different and created in god's own image.
'I want people to know that you are not defined by your skin, you have to love yourself before anyone else can love you.
'I just want them to embrace being different and uniquely made because god made us in his own image, don't be ashamed to be who you are, you have a purpose.
At first, Iomikoe thought she had cancer but it then the white patches spread to her eyes and genital area
The model wants other people with the skin condition to realise they are 'spotted with a purpose' and feel beautiful in their own skin
Would spend hour a day covering patches with make-up and wore long sleeves
Fiancé told her she was beautiful and persuaded her to throw away make-up
Is now a model and hopes to empower other people with condition
A grandmother has bared all to show that 'beauty is beyond skin' after learning to embrace the vitiligo which will one day turn her skin completely white and previously left her suicidal.Model, business owner, and mother-of-four Iomikoe Johnson, 37, from Lake Charles, Louisiana first noticed a tiny spot of white skin under her arm 12-years ago. At first, she thought she had cancer but it then spread to her eyes and genital area. At just 25-years-old, Iomikoe was scared that she would be bullied for being 'two different colours' after spending her childhood being taunted for having dark skin.
Iomikoe contemplated taking her own life as strangers would stare at her in the streets with some even refusing to shake her hand.
She would spend up to an hour a day on her makeup to cover up and would only wear long sleeved clothes.
It wasn't until her fiancé Phillip told her that he loved her no matter what that she decided to ditch the makeup bag.
With the support of her family, Iomikoe has found the confidence to stop covering up with make-up and wearing long sleeved tops
The condition started when Iomikoe was 25, and began with small white patches of skin on her arms
'I got vitiligo when I was twenty-five-years-old and I'll never forget it, I was devastated, I felt like my world had been shattered,' she said.
'My first spot was under my arm where no one could see. When I was a kid, I used to get bullied for having dark skin and now I'm two different colours, so I feared I would have to re-live that experience all over again.
'It was painful and devastating I even thought of taking my own life many times, but I had kids which kept me going.
'People used to look at my hands and not want to touch me and they didn't want to shake my hand. People stared and said very mean, disrespectful things to me and children were afraid of me.
Vitiligo occurs when the cells that produce melanin, the pigment that determines the color of skin, die or stop functioning.
This causes slowly enlarging white patches of irregular shapes to appear on the skin over time.
Vitiligo affects all races, but may be more noticeable in people with darker skin.
The exact cause of the condition is unknown, although many experts believe that it is an autoimmune condition in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys certain cells.
There is no cure and the goal of treatment, which can include ointments and skin grafts, is to stop or slow the progression of pigment loss.
Iomikoe has four children and two grandchildren and says that despite initially being petrified of her vitiligo, she loves being different and wouldn't be able to exist without it.
She admits that her family encouraged her to embrace it and she's now a model and wants the world to see her body as art, walking human art.
'Well it would take me forty-five minutes to an hour to put makeup on to cover spots and it was becoming very tiring,' she explained.'My fiancé told me that I didn't need to do it anymore because he loves me no matter if I wore makeup or not. One day I woke up and I saw this picture on my Facebook of Winnie Harlow, the vitiligo model and I was like oh my god she's so beautiful.She has the same skin disease as me and she embraced her beauty so I thought why shouldn't I do the same. I woke up one day and I didn't put on any makeup and since that day I haven't worn makeup I was tired of people defining what they think is beautiful and it was my job to show them that beauty is beyond skin.
Now Iomike is a model and wants the world to see her body as art, walking human art
'I love the skin I'm in, I'm so proud to be who I am,' Iomikoe says of her vitiligo
Iomikoe in the early days of her condition which started with a small spot under her arm (left). One day her body will be completely white, but she's finally comfortable with that
'My mom cried when I decided not to wear makeup anymore, she said she was so proud of me, my dad and my sisters all told me that I was so beautiful.
'My children love me no matter what, they all cheer me on they are all proud of me they love me despite of my skin they love me because of who I am and what I represent and they are my biggest cheerleaders, they encouraged me to be myself and embrace my beauty.
'I want the world to see my art. I'm walking art, human art..'
Iomikoe used to spend an hour a day covering her skin with make up but now she's learned to love her white patches
Around one percent of the world's population or around 50-million people have vitiligo.
Iomikoe has non-stop segmental vitiligo which has turned into universal vitiligo which will see her body turn completely white. She wants others to embrace who they are.
'I absolutely love myself, I love the skin I'm in, I'm so proud to be who I am I feel like vitiligo is my suit of armour and I think I am absolutely freaking gorgeous,' she added.
The mother-of-four now sees vitiligo as her suit of armour and feels 'absolutely freaking gorgeous'
Iomikoe as a teenager, before she started experiencing symptoms of vitiligo
The model hopes her example will inspire other people and stop the judgments
'I'm spotted with a purpose, it was who god created me to be, I feel like it is my job to show the world what I define as beautiful, I am a vitiligo goddess and I am proud to be uniquely different and created in god's own image.
'I want people to know that you are not defined by your skin, you have to love yourself before anyone else can love you.
'I just want them to embrace being different and uniquely made because god made us in his own image, don't be ashamed to be who you are, you have a purpose.
At first, Iomikoe thought she had cancer but it then the white patches spread to her eyes and genital area
The model wants other people with the skin condition to realise they are 'spotted with a purpose' and feel beautiful in their own skin
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