What is the name of Ella’s skin condition?

I chose not to name Ella’s skin condition in the novel because I want my readers to be able to picture Ella any way they want. Some readers assume Ella has vitiligo, a dermatological condition that causes skin pigment to fade in patches over time. Others believe that Ella has birthmarks, or clustered freckles, or a very minor discoloration that becomes exaggerated in her own mind. One reader even told me he thought there was nothing wrong with Ella’s face at all, and that her self-consciousness about her different appearance is a metaphor for being biracial. For me, the cause of Ella’s different-colored skin doesn’t matter, because the most important thing is how she feels on the inside. Part of Ella’s journey is to grow comfortable with who she is and how she looks—if I labeled her with a certain condition, readers might expect her to seek treatment for the discoloration, and I did not want any part of the story to be about trying to “fix” her face. The important people in Ella’s life accept her exactly the way she is—without looking for explanations or hoping to change her, and that is lovely to me. I hope my readers can do the same. And hopefully Ella will grow to see herself that way, too.