Vitiligo

Vitiligo – General Information

Vitiligo is a disorder which is characterized by the fact that the sufferer’s skin starts to lose melanin. Melanin is the pigment which colors the hair, the skin and the eyes. The disease appears when the cells which are responsible of producing the pigment die or are no longer able to produce the melanin. This leads to the appearance of white patches all over the patient’s body. This disease affects a large number of people all over the world. The reports show that it affects both sexes, no matter the race; however, it is easier to observe in the case of the sufferers with darker skin. In the first stage, Vitiligo affects only small areas of the skin but it spreads gradually and becomes larger and larger. Apart from the medical problems which this disease causes, the patients can suffer severe emotional problems, such as extreme stress caused by the way they look. Even though the specialists have tried for a long time to find a cure for this disease, there is yet no effective treatment. There are, however, some measures which can be applied in order to diminish the pigment loss or even to stop it definitively, but the loss of color can not be reversed. There are some common causes which can lead to the appearance of Vitiligo: it can be the result of a disorder of the immune system, it can be inherited or it can be the result of the single event, such as an emotional distress or sunburn.

Vitiligo – Symptoms

The signs and symptoms which appear in the case of Vitiligo are quite easy to notice as they affect directly the skin. The most common sign is the appearance of white areas on the patient’s skin; the dimension of these patches grows bigger and bigger over time. There are, however, other less common symptoms which can appear in the case of this disorder: a premature graying or even whitening of the hair on the eyelashes, beard, head or eyebrows, a change or loss of color of the retina and a loss of color of the mucous membranes (the tissues which are located inside the mouth). This disorder can affect any part of the patient’s body but in the first stage it will probably develop on those areas of skin which are highly exposed to sun, such as the feet, the arms, the face or the lips. After these areas are affected, the disease will most probably affect other parts as well. This disorder is more likely to affect adults, usually between the ages of 22 and 35 or older people. Vitiligo can appear in one of the following patterns: segmental (when the depigmentation affects only one part of the body), focal (the depigmentation affects only a few areas of the skin) and generalized (the depigmentation is spread all over the patient’s body). The evolution of this disease is quite difficult to predict. In some cases, the depigmentation can stop without any treatment or medical care, but in other cases it can progress fast and lead to sever complications.

Vitiligo – Treatment

If you notice the appearance of one or more of the signs and symptoms presented above, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible in order to obtain a sure diagnosis and to benefit from the best way of treatment. In order to obtain a sure diagnosis, your doctor will probably ask a few questions in order to determine whether the disease is inherited or not; he may ask you about any other cases of Vitiligo in your family, your medical history and other recent problems, such as a sunburn, a rash, a physical illness, extreme stress or a premature whitening of the hair. Apart from this information, your doctor will probably perform a physical examination in order to observe the presence of other skin conditions, such as psoriasis or dermatitis. In addition, your doctor can collect a blood sample and some skin samples of the affected area and he can recommend you some further tests, such as an eye examination, in order to observe the presence of uveitis.

After a sure diagnosis of Vitiligo is obtained, your doctor will choose the best way of treatment, considering the patient’s condition and the possible evolution of the disease. In some cases, the patients may not even need medical care or the administration of any type of treatment. In this case, the most important thing is the self-care and the patients can be prescribed some creams and cosmetics which can be used in order to improve the condition of the skin. In the case of a more severe form of Vitiligo, considering the size, the number and the location of the affected areas of the skin, the doctor has to choose the most appropriate and effective treatment.  The treatment can be administrated in order to restore, as far as possible, the color of the affected areas or to destroy the rest of the color. The therapy for this disorder can last from a few months to a few years and it has to be adapted to each sufferer.

The most common form of treatment is the topical corticosteroid therapy; these agents can return the color of the skin but the effectiveness depends on the stage of the disease. The doctor can prescribe a corticosteroid ointment or a cream; even though the treatment is safe and simple, the sufferers have to be monitored carefully, as there can appear some side-effects, such as the atrophy of the skin or the appearance of some lines and streaks on the skin. Another type of treatment for Vitiligo is the ohotochemotherapy, which consists of the exposure to ultraviolet lights for about a half an hour, twice a week. However, after the therapy the patient has to avoid the direct exposure to the sun. Apart from these types of therapies, the doctor can also choose a surgical therapy for treating Vitiligo. The most common procedure is the skin transfer which consists of the removal of some small areas of unaffected skin and the attachment of these to the affected parts of the patient’s skin.