Vitiligo is a disease in which flat areas of normally-feeling skin become lighter-colored spots with darker edges, most commonly appearing on the face, elbows and knees, genital area or hands.
Doctors typically diagnose vitiligo using a Wood lamp device. Your physician may also ask about any family histories of autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, Addison’s disease, psoriasis and systemic lupus erythematosus that may predispose you.
Causes
Vitiligo is a long-term (chronic), autoimmune condition in which patches of skin gradually lose their natural color due to melanocyte cells being destroyed, leading to their pigment being shed off the surface of their bodies and lost as patches of white skin appear. Vitiligo can affect people of all races and ages but is most prevalent among those with darker skin tones. Furthermore, this disorder may cause other health complications as well.
Vitiligo occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys cells that produce skin pigmentation, creating one or more pale spots on skin, lips or eyes. Vitiligo can spread to other parts of the body including hair, eyebrows and eyelashes – sometimes changing clothing colors as well as object colors! In addition, some individuals have reported depigmented areas inside their mouth.
Vitiligo’s exact cause remains unknown, although experts believe it to be linked to changes in how the brain regulates pigment cells (melanocytes). While not often passed down through families, vitiligo may run in families and may even appear after experiencing stress or emotional trauma. Furthermore, it has also been associated with certain immune-system diseases including thyroid (hypo- and hyperthyroidism), scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis type 1, diabetes type 1, pernicious anemia type 1, pernicious anemia type 1 and systemic Lupus erythematosus.
Vitiligo cannot be cured, but treatments may help restore lost pigment and even out the skin tone. A doctor can diagnose vitiligo by inspecting the patient’s skin and asking questions about his/her past health; Wood light examination can distinguish vitiligo from other causes of lightening of the skin; rarely necessary, biopsies (removing a small sample for laboratory analysis) will be required to correctly identify this condition.
Many medications, such as corticosteroid creams and steroids, can help restore some color back into your skin. Exposing depigmented areas to light from narrow band ultraviolet B often helps repigment them; typically done two or three times each week until significant repigmentation takes place (but still not completely). A trial drug that stimulates color-producing cells is currently being studied as treatment option for those living with vitiligo who do not respond well to other forms of treatment.
Symptoms
Vitiligo can be identified by light or white patches of skin lacking pigment (pigment), known as macules, that lack natural color (pigment). They can appear anywhere on the body but tend to be most noticeable in areas exposed to direct sunlight. Over time or years, spots may spread or remain stable before expanding again – covering large or smaller areas like mouth or eyelids – covering larger parts or just one small spot altogether. People living with Vitiligo also frequently notice their hair becoming silver or gray-toned due to losing pigment from natural color loss from pigmented roots causing hair color changes causing loss; this too is another symptom they’ll encounter as part of living with Vitiligo.
Vitiligo affects people of any race or ethnicity and at any age; it usually first manifests prior to 20 years old. Both sexes can experience emotional distress as it begins affecting both of them equally; some also develop other autoimmune conditions like thyroid disease or alopecia areata while some experience issues with vision or hearing due to it.
Doctors typically diagnose vitiligo by conducting an examination of affected areas. They may use special ultraviolet lights to distinguish abnormal skin from normal skin, and will ask about your family history of it as well as whether any family members suffer from other autoimmune diseases. They will also ask what treatments have been tried and when your vitiligo first started.
Your physician will perform both a physical exam and may order blood tests in order to rule out other health problems that could be contributing to vitiligo symptoms, as well as inquire into any changes in mental state, such as depression or anxiety.
Dermatologists can prescribe treatments and offer advice to manage the symptoms of vitiligo. Cover-up makeups and skin dyes may temporarily mask its appearance; however, they cannot restore normal pigmentation levels. In severe cases of vitiligo, doctors may attempt to reverse its damage by injecting steroids directly into the skin to stimulate pigment production or applying chemical peels on affected areas.
Treatment
Vitiligo affects the appearance of your skin. Although not dangerous, it can be upsetting and embarrassing. There are various treatment options available to manage vitiligo symptoms, from cover-up makeup to light therapy that restores color to skin patches. Joining a support group with others living with vitiligo can be particularly helpful for managing symptoms more effectively.
Vitiligo occurs due to the death of cells known as melanocytes that produce melanin, the pigment responsible for giving skin, eyes and hair their color. Although its cause remains unknown, many researchers suspect vitiligo may be an autoimmune disease – which occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells within your body – and may co-occur with other autoimmune conditions like psoriasis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or pernicious anemia.
Your health care provider can evaluate your skin to diagnose vitiligo. They’ll look for lighter-colored patches with darker borders and larger than usual spots – most common among people with darker skin tones but can occur anywhere on your body. A Wood lamp could also be used to illuminate those affected and show you where color loss has taken place in comparison to surrounding areas.
Light therapy can help restore the appearance of your skin over time, though its full effects will take longer than you expect. Your dermatologist may prescribe cream or ointment that slows the loss of pigment from affected areas; in other cases, they might suggest medication which triggers the production of melanin again by the affected skin cells.
Vitiligo most frequently appears as widespread white patches on the body – this condition is known as generalized vitiligo. Sometimes these depigmented areas appear gradually over time or suddenly; sometimes both. Sometimes depigmented areas appear on both sides of the body at once – there is no way of knowing if or when white patches will return to their natural hue.
Prevention
Vitiligo may make people feel embarrassed and self-conscious, but it’s harmless and does not spread to others. People suffering from the condition may find that camouflage makeup that matches their skin tone helps them look normal. Joining support groups (with any other member with similar condition from your poker group whom you met at any of the sites mentioned over https://centiment.io will make it easier for you) or seeing a psychologist to build confidence may also provide relief. Some patients have success using light therapy to return their color; other treatments include medications stimulating color-producing cells (melanocytes), steroid creams or depigmentation surgery as options.
Vitiligo affects people of all ages, races and genders – though those with darker complexions seem especially affected. Loss of pigment often occurs early in life (usually before 40) and runs in families; furthermore it has been linked with other autoimmune conditions, including thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), type 1 diabetes and anemia.
Vitiligo occurs as white patches on the skin that range in size from small freckles to armpits or even an entire chest and back, and their hue ranges from pinkish-white to yellowish to creamy white in hue. Their edges may be red while other times smooth with less pigment than surrounding skin; sometimes their edges may even be slightly lighter. Vitiligo may also manifest itself in hair and eyes: People suffering from it often lose eyebrows and eyelashes before experiencing early gray hair growth or losing pigment that gives their lips color pigment.
If you suffer from vitiligo, your doctor may suggest calcineurin inhibitor ointment to alter how your immune system operates to ease inflammation. Furthermore, monobenzone or mequinol topical dyes might also help restore color to your skin; such products are available at many drugstores or beauty shops.
In severe cases, dermatologists may recommend epidermal grafting surgery as a surgical solution to improving vitiligo. This involves taking skin tissue from another part of the body and transplanting it onto affected areas using local anesthesia. Tissue and cell grafts may be performed; other possible cellular treatments include injecting Afamelanotide under the skin may help stimulate color-producing cells to treat some cases of vitiligo.