Vitiligo is a skin disorder that causes the skin to lose color. This skin disorder is more noticeable in people with dark complexion because of the dark outlining of white patches. This skin disorder can develop on any part of the body but usually develops on parts of the body that are easily exposed to sun. The course of this skin disorder is usually unpredictable.
Both sexes and all races are affected equally by vitiligo. The close blood relatives of a vitiligo patient are at a higher risk of developing of vitiligo. People affected by vitiligo are at a higher risk of other autoimmune disorders like thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and others.
Causes of vitiligo are not completely discovered yet. Melanocytes (pigment producing cells) from the area of the skin that is affected are damaged and they stop producing pigment. Vitiligo is a genetic disorder and most of the people develop it through inheritance. A single event like severe sun burn or mental stress can sometimes lead to vitiligo. It is also believed that various environmental factors play a vital role in triggering vitiligo.
Diagnosis of vitiligo includes visual examination of the skin under Wood’s Lamp. This lamp helps physicians distinguish vitiligo from other skin conditions. In some cases a physician may require a skin biopsy.
Vitiligo is a cosmetic skin disorder that just causes de-pigmentation and no physical harm to the body. Some people think it is as precancerous condition but that is not true. This disease just causes physical discomfort. Sometime the change in appearance caused by vitiligo cause psychological disorder and the patient may experience lack of self confidence. For such condition a metal health physician may be consulted for improvement of psychological problems.
Treatments of vitiligo just help only re-pigmentation of the lost skin color and slowing down the further progression. No treatment is discovered or developed up till now that can completely cure vitiligo. Many vitiligo treatments are available but that depends on patient’s preference whether he needs treatment or not. If the patch appears on cosmetically important area the patient must go for a treatment.
Photo-therapies are available along with a combination of psoralens which helps in frequent re-pigmentation. Psoralens help in making the skin sensitive to uv light which helps in tanning and getting skin re-pigmented. Many other treatments are available but photo therapy is believed to be more effective method of re-pigmentation when used in combination with psoralens.
People with vitiligo should use protection against sun when going outside. Because of loss of pigmentation their skin becomes more sensitive to the UV rays present in sunlight and this increase chances sunburn, aging and other disorders caused by harmful UV rays. So people must take necessary precautions when going out in sunlight.
