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Objectives: Individuals with a disfigurement are at risk of experiencing psychological distress, but the level of this distress is only marginally associated with clinical severity. This study examinesthe experience of living with the skin condition vitiligo with a view towards understanding its impact and the ways in which participants deal with this chronic and disfiguring disease.

Design: The qualitative method Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used.

Methods: In a semi‐structured interview, seven white female vitiligo sufferers were asked to describe their experiences from the time the vitiligo first became apparent to the time of the interview. They were encouraged to elaborate on their own reactions and how they dealt with the reactions of others.

Results: Initially, participants felt overwhelmed by their illness but over time they developed several strategies in order to ‘contain’ their difference in appearance …