Vitiligo is a chronic condition that affects the skin's pigmentation. Because vitiligo affects physical appearance, living with the condition could be difficult and affect emotional well-being.
What is vitiligo?
Vitiligo is a lifelong condition wherein patches of skin lose color resulting from the destruction of melanocytes, the cells accountable for producing melanin. Melanin is the pigment that offers skin its color. Vitiligo can appear on any a part of the body and affects people of any age, race or gender.
Fast facts about vitiligo:
- About 30% of individuals with vitiligo have a family history.
- It occurs in about 1% to 2% of the population.
- About half of individuals with vitiligo develop symptoms before the age of 20.
- In one in five to 10 individuals with vitiligo, some or the entire pigment eventually returns, causing the white patches to vanish.
What causes vitiligo?
Vitiligo is considered an autoimmune disorder wherein the immune system mistakenly targets and destroys its own cells. In the case of vitiligo, the immune system targets an individual's melanocytes, the cells that produce skin pigment. In addition, melanocytes in an individual with vitiligo have a reduced ability to handle the imbalance between antioxidants and harmful free radicals within the body. In each cases, melanocytes are damaged and destroyed, leading to patches of skin that lose color or pigment.
Although most individuals with vitiligo are otherwise in good health, there may be an association between vitiligo and thyroid disorders, resembling hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.
What does vitiligo seem like?
In vitiligo, patches of skin lose their pigment, leading to areas that appear milky white or lighter than the encompassing skin. The edges of the patch may appear smooth or irregular and appear red or brown in color.
Vitiligo can appear anywhere on an individual's skin. The most affected areas are:
- Fingers and wrists
- In the armpits
- Waist and genitalia
- Around the mouth and eyes
- contained in the mouth.
Vitiligo may cause pigmentation within the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, beard and body hair.
Vitiligo could be especially noticeable on dark skin due to the difference between the affected and unaffected areas. In individuals with fair skin, the shortage of pigmentation is usually more pronounced in the summertime, when there may be a dullness across the skin while the vitiligo spots will not be present.
Types of vitiligo
There are two important forms of vitiligo: nonsegmental and segmental.
Nonsegmental vitiligo is probably the most common type, affecting 90% of individuals with vitiligo. This type develops slowly, with recent spots appearing periodically on each side of the body, often in parallel, resembling on each knees or hands.
Segmental vitiligo is less common but more common in children. This type is more localized, causing rapid lack of pigment on one side or a part of the body. Segmental vitiligo often stabilizes inside six to 12 months, after which no recent patches form.
In rare cases, vitiligo can spread to cover your complete body, a condition often called universal vitiligo.
Diagnosis of vitiligo
To diagnose vitiligo, your doctor will review your medical history and perform a radical skin examination. In some cases, an ultraviolet light called a Wood's lamp is used to focus on areas of depigmentation, which appear chalky and vivid under the lamp.
Your doctor may do other tests resembling:
- Blood tests to examine for other autoimmune diseases
- An eye exam to detect uveitis, the inflammation of the attention related to vitiligo.
A skin biopsy, wherein a small sample of skin is examined in a laboratory, isn’t needed. This will help confirm the diagnosis if skin changes suggest other conditions.
Treatment options
Although there is no such thing as a cure for vitiligo, there are treatments to assist slow the progression of the disease, restore skin color, and forestall recent spots. For most individuals, if vitiligo will not be treated, the white patches of skin will remain and turn into larger.
Your doctor's recommendations for treatment will depend upon your needs, overall health, and the style of vitiligo.
Conditional medications Topical treatments include topical steroids, topical calcineurin inhibitors (resembling tacrolimus or pimecrolimus), and topical vitamin D analogs (resembling calciputerin). These prescription medications are applied on to the skin.
Ruxolitinib (Opzelura) is a brand new drug. Approved by the FDA 2022 to revive lost skin color to individuals with vitiligo. This cream is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor that’s really helpful for people 12 years of age and older primarily to treat small areas of vitiligo. Clinical trials have shown that ruxolitinib cream can effectively regrow the skin, with results lasting as much as two years.
Light therapy. This treatment exposes the skin to ultraviolet light, encouraging regrowth. Ultraviolet light could be delivered through a hand-held light box for small areas of skin, or delivered in a closet-sized light box if a big area of ​​skin is involved. Treatment must be repeated incessantly, often 3 times every week for at the least six months.
Depigmentation. This approach, which involves lightening the unaffected skin to match the depigmented areas, is used only in individuals with severe vitiligo. This treatment isn’t used since the pigmentation is everlasting and the skin without pigment is vulnerable to sun damage.
Surgery. Surgical options resembling skin grafts or melanocyte transplants could also be explored in severe cases or those who don’t reply to other treatments. Surgery will not be suitable for everybody, especially those that suffer from scarring.
Protecting and caring in your skin if you might have vitiligo
If you might have vitiligo, protecting your skin from the sun is critical to managing the condition. Skin affected by vitiligo is more vulnerable to sunburn and skin cancer.
To protect your skin, stay out of the sun, wear sun protective clothing, and apply sunscreen each day to all exposed skin. Avoid tanning beds and sun lamps, as they’ll worsen vitiligo.
Also, skin injuries resembling cuts, scrapes, and burns may cause recent spots or patches of vitiligo, so it is best to take care to guard your skin.
Living with Vitiligo
Some individuals with vitiligo embrace their natural skin. Others will not be comfortable with their appearance and will use makeup, self-tanner, or skin color to cover light patches. Vitiligo can affect quality of life, causing stress, depression and low self-esteem.
If vitiligo is affecting your mental health, seek psychological help and counseling. A mental health skilled can provide helpful support for coping with difficult feelings and overcoming depression. Connecting with others by joining a will also be helpful. Vitiligo Support Group or getting emotional support from family and friends.