Did you know that
Vitiligo or leukoderma is a chronic skin disease that causes loss of pigment which produces white patches?
The precise cause of
vitiligo is complex and not fully understood.
There is some evidence suggesting it is caused by a combination of auto-immune, genetic, and environmental factors. The population incidence worldwide is considered to be between 1% and 2%.
Did you know that
Vitiligo affects one or two of every 100 people.?
About half the people who develop it do so before the age of 20; about one - fifth have a family member with this condition. It may be an autoimmune process (the body makes antibodies to its own pigment cells). Most people with
vitiligo are in good general health, although
vitiligo may occur with other autoimmune diseases such as thyroid disease.
With
vitiligo you develop patches of de-pigmented skin appearing on extremities before their 20s. The patches may grow, shrink, or remain constant in size. Patches often occur symmetrically across both sides on the body. Occasionally small areas may repigment as they are recolonised by melanocytes. The location of vitiligo affected skin changes over time, with some patches re-pigmenting and others becoming affected.
Vitiligo may also be caused by stress that affects the immune system, leading the body to react and start eliminating skin pigment.
Vitiligo on the scalp may affect the color of the hair (though not always), leaving white patches or streaks. It will similarly affect facial and body hair.
Did you know some of the symptoms of
Vitiligo?
• white patches on the skin, including the face, limbs, torso, and groin
• purple or golden brown patches on mucous membranes and around the eyes, nostrils, and mouth
• uveitis
• premature graying of hair
Typical
vitiligo shows areas of milky-white skin. However, the degree of pigment loss can vary within each
vitiligo patch. There may be different shades of pigment in a patch, or a border of darker skin may circle an area of light skin.
Vitiligo often begins with a rapid loss of pigment. This may continue until, for unknown reasons, the process stops. Cycles of pigment loss, followed by times where the pigment doesn't change, may continue indefinitely.
It is rare for skin pigment in
vitiligo patients to return on its own. Some people who believe they no longer have
vitiligo actually have lost all their pigment and no longer have patches of contrasting skin color. Although their skin is all one color, they still have
vitiligo.The course and severity of pigment loss differ with each person. Light-skinned people usually notice the contrast between areas of vitiligo and suntanned skin in the summer. Year round,
vitiligo is more obvious on people with darker skin. Individuals with severe cases can lose pigment all over the body. There is no way to predict how much pigment an individual will lose.
Did you know that Vitiligo can have a significant effect on the psychological well being of the patient? This is especially true for darker skinned patients as the contrast between pigmented and depigmented skin can be quite drastic.
In some cultures there is a stigma attached to having
vitiligo. Those affected with the condition are sometimes thought to be evil or diseased and are sometimes shunned by others in the community. People with
vitiligo may feel depressed because of this stigma or because their appearance has changed dramatically. Other people with vitiligo experience no negative psychological effects at all.
There are a number of ways to alter the appearance of
vitiligo without addressing its underlying cause. In mild cases,
vitiligo patches can be hidden with makeup or other cosmetic camouflage solutions. If the affected person is pale-skinned, the patches can be made less visible by avoiding sunlight and the sun tanning of unaffected skin. However, exposure to sunlight may also cause the melanocytes to regenerate to allow the pigmentation to come back to its original color.
Did you know a traditional treatment given by most dermatologists is corticosteroid cream?
Phototherapy may also be beneficial. Using exposure to long-wave ultraviolet (UVA) light from the sun or from UVA, together with Psoralen, called "PUVA", Or with UVB Narrowband lamps (without Psoralen), can help in many cases. Psoralen can be taken in a pill 1-2 hours before the exposure or as a Psoralen soaking of the area 1/2 hour before the exposure. Lately, PUVA is being more and more replaced with exposure UVB Narrowband light at a wavelength of 311-313 nanometers. This treatment does not involve Psoralen since the effect of the lamp is strong enough. The source for the UVB Narrowband UVB light can be special fluorescent lamps that treat large areas in a few minutes, or high power fiber-optic devices in a fraction of a second.
If you didn't know, now - you know...
To see more did you know that trivia
click here