Ash Soto was diagnosed with vitiligo when she was 12 years old
It’s a rare skin disease which causes pigment loss, leaving large white patches all over body
During Ash’s teen years vitiligo spreaded the most and the bullying began
After a little girl asked Ash if she had showered in bleach, Ash felt too ashamed of her skin and decided to never show any of it in public
“I was so shocked that someone said that to me that I cried and cried, I didn’t want to have the condition any more,” Soto said
However, in her late teens, Ash made herself do these little challenges, such as walking outside with a short-sleeved shirt
But it wasn’t until she started doing body art that she learned to love her skin condition
She started by drawing around the white patches and saw that it looked like a world map
“I never realised how beautiful my vitiligo was until I traced it with a black marker, it really helps to bring out the different colours of my skin”
“I will continue creating different pieces of art with my skin and hope it inspires others in the process”
“Now what others would perceive as an imperfection I have made into something more beautiful and made it more accepted than before”