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Vitiligo, The White Patch Skin Disease
Vitiligo is complex and not yet fully understood skin disorder. Vitiligo is a disease in which irregular shaped, white patches develop on the skin. Any location on the body can be affected, and most sufferers of vitiligo have white patches in many areas of the body. Common sites are exposed areas (face, neck, eyes, nostrils, nipples, navel, genitalia), body folds (armpits, groin), sites of injury (cuts, scrapes, burns) and around pigmented moles.
Vitiligo is caused by a loss of pigment in the skin, due to the destruction of pigment-forming cells known as melanocytes. When melanin, the substance that gives skin its color, is no longer produced by specific skin cells, the victim is left with skin patches that are a starkly white in contrast to the other areas of surrounding skin. It can also appear on the scalp, affecting the color of the hair turning it grey or creating white streaks in one's hair. This white hair symptom is called 'poliosis.'
Vitiligo may seem to be only a "cosmetic" problem as it changes one's appearance - but more than embarrassment and decreased self-esteem can be a result of this disfiguring, white patch disease. Those with vitiligo often have other autoimmune disorders. About 20 percent of persons with vitiligo get an autoimmune thyroid disease. And this skin condition has also been linked to psoriasis, lupus, anemia, immune related diabetes and other health problems. And it should be noted that skin areas affected by vitiligo are particularly sensitive to sunlight.
Vitiligo affects 1-2% of the American and world population. It is estimated that 2 to 4 million Americans have the condition. In most cases, vitiligo develops early in life, between the ages of 10 and 30 years. Ninety-five percent of those affected will develop the disorder before age 40. Both men and women are equally likely to develop the milky white skin spots of vitiligo. Vitiligo affects all races equally, although it is more noticeable in dark-skinned people.
As the skin gradually loses its color, patch by patch, other people may treat someone with vitiligo like a leper, thinking they have a contagious skin disease. In fact, vitiligo is called "white leprosy" in india. Women with it are often discriminated against in marriage. If they develop vitiligo after marriage, it can be grounds for divorce...
But Vitiligo is not contagious, in any way. Still the precise cause of vitiligo is not well-understood. Many experts believe that vitiligo is the result of one or a combination of genetic, immunologic, biochemical and neurogenic factors. There is strong evidence that people with vitiligo inherit a group of three genes that make them susceptible to depigmentation.
The most widely accepted view, though, is that vitiligo is an autoimmune disease - a disease in which a person's immune system reacts against the body's own organs or tissues. People's bodies produce proteins called cytokines that, in vitiligo, alter their pigment-producing cells and cause these cells to die. Another theory is that melanocytes destroy themselves. About 30% of people with vitiligo will have a sudden reversal of symptoms (repigmentation).
Will the Depigmented Patches Spread? It depends...
There are different types of vitiligo - focal pattern, segmental and general vitiligo, for example. Focal pattern vitiligo and segmental vitiligo remain localized to one part of the body and do not spread. But for generalized vitiligo there is no way to predict if it will spread, but it usuallly does.
For some people, the depigmented patches do not spread. But the disorder is usually progressive, however, and over time the white spots will spread to other areas of the body. For some people, vitiligo spreads slowly, over many years. For others, the spreading occurs rapidly. Additional depigmentation may occur after periods of physical or emotional stress.
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Treating Vitiligo - Vitiligo treatment can be aimed at returning normal pigment to the whitened skin or destroying remaining pigment in adjacent skin so that it matches the area affected by vitiligo. To restore the function of the skin and improve the individual's appearance, vitiligo is manageable. Today, there are a number of ways to alter the appearance of vitiligo.
On the medical front, sterioid creams maybe used to repigment the affected skin. This does not always work. Another method is the psoralen and ultraviolet A (PUVA) therapy. The chemical psoralen is applied to the white skin and then the skin is subjected to ultraviolet light. This, when it works, darkens the skin. This is a time consuming procedure and side effects can include: (1) severe sunburn and blistering and (2) too much repigmentation or darkening (hyperpigmentation).
Alternatively, depigmentation may be tried. This involves fading the rest of the skin on the body to match the areas that are already white. For people who have vitiligo on more than 50 percent of their bodies, depigmentation may be the best treatment option. Patients apply the drug monobenzyl ether of hydroquinone to the unaffected skin until it matches the skin bleached by vitiligo.
The major side effect of depigmentation therapy is inflammation (redness and swelling) of the skin. You may experience itching or dry skin. Depigmentation tends to be permanent and is not easily reversed and the skin tones may not match. In addition, a person who undergoes depigmentation will always be unusually sensitive to sunlight.
Surgical producures are an option and include skin grafts, tattooing and even melanocyte transplants.
There are now several herbal alternatives that help re-pigment skin whitened by vitiligo.
For re-pigmentation
in vitiligo and immune support,
Callumae is one example of supplements available in this class.
Clinical trials have shown that many important vitamins are lacking in a large number of vitiligo patients,
including Folic Acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 - nutrients responsible for pigmentation,
energy metabolism, and nervous system function.
Callumae and similar products contain these ingredients plus a synergistic blend of potent botanicals for
processes relating to immunological functioning and skin health.
And if your vitiligo is limited in scope - you may be okay with the use of make-up or other similar
cosmetic means. DY-O-Derm Vitiligo Stain - 4 oz
About the Author: Scott Harker is the publisher of several websites including: Neon Signs For Sale, Panic Attack Products Reviewed, Seduction and Relationship Products Reviewed, Tibetan Singing Bowls, and Health News.
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