Ash Soto discovered she had vitiligo at the age of 12. She started to feel ashamed of her vitiligo after a young girl asked if she had used bleach in her shower. The young woman, who is now 21 years old, no longer feels any guilt and even likes her skin tone.
Soto decided in her late teens that she would no longer allow the color of her skin to stand in the way of her success. She started pushing herself daily by doing things like leaving the house without a long sleeved shirt on. Soto overcame many challenges and her body evolved into a work of art. My skin’s various shades are really brought out by it, Soto told Daily Mail. I didn’t appreciate my vitiligo’s beauty until I used a black marker to trace it. She currently has numerous paintings on her body, including Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” and she has no intention of stopping. What was once considered a flaw is now something to treasure
Ash Soto was given the vitiligo diagnosis when she was 12 years old.
It is a rare skin condition that causes white patches and widespread loss of pigment.
The most common time for vitiligo to occur and the beginning of bullying were both during Ash’s teenage years.
After a young girl inquired as to whether Ash had taken a bleach shower, Ash felt too ashamed to expose any skin in public.
Soto: “I was so shocked when I heard that I broke down in tears because I didn’t want to have the condition any longer.”
Ash, on the other hand, forced herself to perform such actions in her late teens, such as going outside while wearing a short-sleeved shirt.
But she didn’t fully accept her skin condition until she started doing body art.
She started by defining a border around the white areas and realized she had produced a map of the entire world very quickly.
When I traced my vitiligo with a black marker and saw how the various colors stood out, I realized how beautiful it was.
In the hopes that it will inspire and uplift others, I will continue to create skin art and share it with the world.
What was once viewed as flawed is now more admired and valued for its distinctive qualities than ever.
