Vitiligo

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Vitiligo
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What is vitiligo?

• Vitiligo is a condition that causes
  depigmentation of patches of skin. It occurs
  when melanocytes (the cells responsible for skin
  pigmentation) die or are unable to function.
• Vitiligo is also called white spot disease
  and leukoderma.

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What causes vitiligo?

• The cause of vitiligo is unknown, but research
  suggests that it may arise from autoimmune,
  genetic, oxidative stress, neural, or vital
  causes.
• Tanning also causes vitiligo!

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Signs and Symptoms

• The main sign of vitiligo is pigment loss that
  produces milky-white patches on your skin.
  Other less common signs include -Premature
  whitening or graying of the hair on your scalp,
  eyelashes, eyebrows or beard. -Loss of color
  in the tissues that line the inside of your mouth
  (mucous membranes). -Loss or change in the
  color of the inner layer of your eye (retina).

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What is the treatment for vitiligo?

• Depending on the severity of the condition, the
  treatment method may vary. Treatment methods
  include
• Avoidance of tanning. For fair-skinned
  individuals, avoiding tanning of normal skin can
  make the areas of vitiligo almost unnoticeable.
• Use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30.
• Use a cosmetic cover-up solution. Make-up,
  self-tanning compounds with dihydroxyacetone, and
  dyes (such as Covermark, Walnut Stain, Vita Dye
  or Dermablend) help temporarily conceal the white
  patches of vitiligo.
• Repigmentation. The restoration of the normal
  pigment and can be achieved with repigmentation
  therapy or corticosteroids. To get
  repigmentation, new pigment cells must be
  produced from existing ones, such as ones found
  at the base of hair follicles, from the edge of
  the patch or from the patch itself if
  depigmentation is not complete.
• In repigmentation therapy, a patient is given a
  psoralen drug (orally) and then is exposed to
  ultraviolet light in the doctor's office. This
  therapy is called PUVA. When psoralen drugs are
  activated by the light, they stimulate
  repigmentation by increasing the availability of
  color-producing cells at the skin's surface.
• Depigmentation is the destruction of the
  remaining melanocytes. Patients with vitiligo
  over half of their exposed body may want to
  consider using this method. A bleaching chemical
  called monobenzylether of hydroquinone
  (Benzoquin) is applied to normally pigmented
  skin. Treatment may take up to one year.

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Vitiligo's Emotional Impact

• Many individuals with vitiligo become
  distressed because of their appearance. This can
  in turn be bad for the affected individual
  because stress can cause more vitiligo spots to
  appear.

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Quick Facts

• Vitiligo affects both sexes and all races, but is
  often more noticeable and more disfiguring in
  people with darker skin.
• Vitiligo usually starts as small areas of pigment
  loss that spread and become larger with time.
• Half of people with vitiligo develop patches of
  depigmented skin appearing on extremities before
  their 20s.
• Small areas of vitiligo may repigment as
  melanocytes appear.

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Sources

• Information
• http//www.dermalight80.com/disease-vitiligo.htm
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitiligo
• http//www.vitiligoguide.com/vitiligo-skin/
• http//vitiligo-vitilem.eu/?langen
• Http//wisegeek.com/what-is-vitiligo.htm
• http//www.healthcentral.com/encyclopedia/408/255.
  html

Pictures http//healthfiles.net/disease/vitiligo/
http//effectivevitiligotreatment.blogspot.com/ ht
tp//vitiligo-vitilem.eu/?langen http//www.aocd.
org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/vitiligo.html http
//www.vitiligoskindisorder.com/more/vitiligo/ http
//www.vitiligos.com/people-with-vitiligo/famous-p
eople/