• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Daily Vitamina

Daily Vitamina

Bilingual Health News

  • Health Conditions
  • Healthy Living
  • Food
  • Weight Loss
  • Fitness
Home / Healthy Living / Skin & Beauty / What is Vitiligo?

What is Vitiligo?

Viti who? If you don’t know someone who has been affected by this skin disease there is a good chance you may not be familiar with it. In short, vitiligo is the discoloration of the skin. There is no known cure for vitiligo but there are treatments that can improve its appearance and thus help people affected by the disease.

Vitiligo is characterized by the destruction of melanocytes (pigment cells) that either die or stop producing melanin — the pigment that gives your skin, hair and eyes, color. This lack of pigment production causes the skin that is affected to lose color in blotches. The discoloration is most apparent on sun-exposed areas, such as the hands, feet, arms, face and lips.Vitiligo can start at any age, but most often appears during teenage years. This can include:

• Skin discoloration
• Premature graying of the hair on your scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows or beard
• Loss of color in the tissues that line the inside of your mouth and nose
• Loss or change in color of the inner layer of the eyeball
• Discolored patches around the armpits, navel, genitals and rectum

ThinkstockPhotos-467787570

Vitiligo mainly affects your skin pigmentation, but it is not only a cosmetic issue. It is a disease caused by certain genes. People affected are more susceptible to skin cancer and skin aging because of the lack of pigmentation. In addition to affecting the skin, it can also affect a person physiologically through their autoimmune response and thus affects functions such as the thyroid gland, the amino glands, the joints causing arthritis, and diabetes.
diabetes

Treatment

According to the Mayo Clinic, no drug can stop the process of vitiligo. But some drugs, used alone or with light therapy, can help improve your skin’s appearance. It’s important to consult with your doctor to see which  treatment works best for you:

  • A topical corticosteroid may help to (repigment) your skin, particularly if you start using it early in the disease. It can cause side effects, such as skin thinning or the appearance of streaks or lines on your skin.
  • Light therapy: This treatment uses narrow band UVB light. The best results are achieved on the face, trunk, and limbs.
  • Laser therapy: This procedure brings color back to patches of light skin by treating them with an excimer laser, which uses a specific wavelength of UVB light. Side effects can include redness and blistering.
  • Removing the remaining color (depigmentation). This therapy may be an option if your vitiligo is widespread and other treatments haven’t worked. Side effects can include redness, swelling, itching and dry skin. Depigmentation is permanent, and you’ll always be extremely sensitive to sunlight.
  • Skin grafting: In this procedure, your doctor removes very small sections of your normal, pigmented skin and attaches them to areas that have lost pigment. This procedure is used if you have small patches of vitiligo. Possible risks include infection, scarring, a cobblestone appearance, spotty color and failure of the area to recolor.
  • Blister grafting: In this procedure, your doctor creates blisters on your pigmented skin. He or she then removes the tops of the blisters and transplants them to an area of discolored skin. Possible risks include scarring, a cobblestone appearance and failure of the area to recolor.
  • Tattooing (micro pigmentation): In this technique, your doctor implants pigment into your skin. It’s most effective around the lips, especially in people with darker skin. Risks include difficulty matching the skin color, the tendency of tattoos to fade and their inability to tan. Also, the skin damage caused by tattooing may trigger another patch of vitiligo.
  • Ginkgo biloba may return skin color in people with slow-spreading vitiligo. Research has also shown that folic acid and vitamin B-12 plus sunlight may restore skin color for some people.ThinkstockPhotos-484404727

NEXT: Liver Spots? Age Spots? How To Get Rid of Them

 

July 10, 2015 by Nora Pereda

Read Next Article

The Latest In Skin & Beauty

7 Tips for Healthy Nails

Want to have attractive, well-groomed hands? Here's a guide to the right way to trim your nails. The American Academy of Dermatology notes that short, manicured nails not only look great, but are less likely to trap dirt and bacteria [Read More...] about 7 Tips for Healthy Nails
woman applying makeup

Are Women Absorbing Toxins From Their Makeup?

A polished, perfectly put-together face can be a huge boost to your confidence, but a new study shows that many of the cosmetics that help achieve that look might also be harmful to your health. In the United States and [Read More...] about Are Women Absorbing Toxins From Their Makeup?

Slow Down Wrinkles With These Helpful Tips

Wrinkles may be a natural part of getting older, but you can slow your skin's aging with changes to your lifestyle and environment, a skin expert says. "Daily activities, such as protecting your skin from the sun and eating healthy [Read More...] about Slow Down Wrinkles With These Helpful Tips
woman applying lotion on face

Keeping Skin Looking Youthful

  Americans live in a culture that glorifies youth. They're surrounded by images of ideal, ageless beauty that are impossible standards to meet. That's one of the reasons they spent an estimated $7 billion on anti-aging skin care products in [Read More...] about Keeping Skin Looking Youthful
woman drinking soda

What Foods Are Most Likely to Cause Acne Breakouts?

Certain eating habits, high levels of stress and exposure to pollution are among the greatest factors associated with acne, researchers say. They studied links to acne in more than 6,700 people from six countries in Europe and the Americas. The [Read More...] about What Foods Are Most Likely to Cause Acne Breakouts?
Woman in a white bathrobe applying moisturizer to her hand

Does Collagen Actually Work For Your Skin?

There is still a cloud of doubt surrounding the idea of collagen boosting the skin's health. But what does exactly collagen do to our skin and should we give in to the hype of collagen skincare? Collagen is a protein [Read More...] about Does Collagen Actually Work For Your Skin?

Primary Sidebar

Popular Posts

  • AHA News: Silent Heart Attacks All Too Common, and Often OverlookedAHA News: Silent Heart Attacks All Too Common, and…
  • Migraines? Get Moving: Exercise Can Help Curb AttacksMigraines? Get Moving: Exercise Can Help Curb Attacks
  • An Insider’s Guide To Cut Costs on Prescription DrugsAn Insider’s Guide To Cut Costs on Prescription Drugs
  • Bedroom Light at Night Might Boost Women's WeightBedroom Light at Night Might Boost Women’s Weight
  • Often Feel Bloated? One Ingredient May Be To BlameOften Feel Bloated? One Ingredient May Be To Blame

Copyright © 2023, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.