Best Treatment for Vitiligo Disease
Contents
- What is vitiligo?
- Common symptoms
- What are the signs and symptoms of vitiligo?
- When do you need to see a doctor?
- Causes
- What causes vitiligo?
- Possible Risks
- Who often get vitiligo?
- What factors increase the risk of vitiligo?
- Effective treatment
- What medical techniques are used to diagnose vitiligo?
- What methods are used to treat vitiligo?
- Suitable living regime
- Which living habits help you to reduce the progression of vitiligo?
- Sources
Table Of Contents
What is vitiligo?
Vitiligo is a long-term autoimmune skin condition that causes loss of skin color. Skin color is lost in patches, often on the hands, feet, arms, and face.
It’s not contagious or life-threatening, and treatment can help, but lost color can return slowly or not at all. Vitiligo is sometimes linked to other autoimmune illnesses like thyroid disease.
Common symptoms
What are the signs and symptoms of vitiligo?
Small areas of skin lose their pigment and turn milky white. Vitiligo patches are usually painless, though some people notice mild itching. They vary in size, from small spots to large areas. These patches can spread and merge into larger patches with no definite shape.
They usually appear on both sides of the body in a symmetrical pattern. A less common type (segmental vitiligo) affects only one area. Hair in vitiligo areas can turn white, and the inside of the mouth or nose can also lose color.
You may experience other symptoms that have not been mentioned. If you have any questions about symptoms, consult your doctor.
When do you need to see a doctor?
See a doctor if your skin, hair, or eyes are discolored. Vitiligo currently has no cure. However, treatment can help stop or slow its spread and may restore some skin color.
Causes
What causes vitiligo?
According to NIAMS, vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder: the immune system attacks melanocytes, the skin cells that make melanin, the pigment that determines skin color. Vitiligo is not cancer and is not contagious.
It can run in families, and triggers such as sunburn, emotional stress, or chemical exposure may set it off or make it worse.
Possible Risks
Who often get vitiligo?
Vitiligo affects all racial and ethnic groups. It is more noticeable in people with darker skin. Vitiligo can appear at any age, but many people first notice patches before age 20.
What factors increase the risk of vitiligo?
There are many factors that can increase your risk of vitiligo, including:
- Genetic factors: Vitiligo can be inherited in families; people with a family history of vitiligo or early gray hair are more likely to develop vitiligo.
- Other factors include autoimmune diseases, such as autoimmune thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, pernicious anemia, and Addison's disease.
Effective treatment
The information provided is not a substitute for the advice of a healthcare professional. Always consult your doctor.
What medical techniques are used to diagnose vitiligo?
Your doctor will examine your skin, often with a Wood's lamp (a black light that makes vitiligo patches look bright white). They may take a small sample of your skin (biopsy), order blood tests for other autoimmune diseases, and suggest an eye exam. A dermatologist can confirm the diagnosis.
What methods are used to treat vitiligo?
Treatments include a combination of cosmetics, prescription creams, and special light therapy.
Mild vitiligo may not need treatment. Using makeup, skin dyes, or self-tanning lotion on small vitiligo patches is not harmful to your health. People with fair skin can make patches less obvious by using sunscreen and avoiding a tan on the surrounding skin.
For smaller areas, topical steroid creams or calcineurin inhibitor creams (tacrolimus, pimecrolimus) can return some color, but results take months. Use steroid creams only as your doctor directs, especially on thin skin such as the face, armpits, or groin.
A newer prescription cream, ruxolitinib, is FDA-approved for some people age 12 and older.
Light therapy (phototherapy) uses a light box for large areas or a laser for small ones. Narrowband UVB is the most common type today. An older method, PUVA, combines psoralen (a cream or pill) with UVA light.
Light therapy usually takes many sessions over months and works best on the face, neck, and trunk. Side effects can include sunburn-like redness and blistering.
For widespread vitiligo, some people choose depigmentation, which removes the remaining color to even out skin tone. Surgery, such as skin grafting, may be an option for stable vitiligo that doesn't respond to other treatments.
Suitable living regime
Which living habits help you to reduce the progression of vitiligo?
The following routine will help you reduce the progression of the disease:
- Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher is commonly recommended) on areas with vitiligo, which sunburn easily.
- Contact your doctor if you develop new symptoms. Medications for vitiligo can cause side effects.
- Wear a hat, long-sleeved shirt, and pants.
- Contact your doctor if you experience severe redness or blistering during treatment.
Remember that pigmentation remedies are not a comprehensive and long-term cure.
If you have any questions, consult your doctor for advice on the best treatment support method.
