When pale white patches occur on your skin that condition is known as vitiligo. Vitiligo is a disease that causes loss of skin color in patches. The discolored areas usually get bigger with time. The condition can affect the skin on any part of the body.
Vitiligo is a long-term condition. Where pale white patches develop on the skin. It is caused by the lack of melanin, which is the pigment in the skin.
Type of Vitiligo
Generalized Vitiligo
Is the most common type, when macules appear in various places on the body.
Segmental Vitiligo
Is restricted to one side of the body or one area, such as the hands or face.
Mucosal Vitiligo
Affects the mucous membranes of the mouth and/or the genitals.
Focal Vitiligo
It is a rare type in which the macules are in a small area and do not spread in a certain pattern within one to two years.
Trichome Vitiligo
In this there is a white or colorless center, then an area of lighter pigmentation, and then an area of normally colored skin.
Universal Vitiligo
Another rare type of vitiligo, and one in which more than 80% of the skin of the body lacks pigment.
Causes of Vitiligo
There are several different theories:
Autoimmune disorder: The affected person’s immune system may develop antibodies that destroy melanocytes.
Genetic factors: Certain factors that may increase the chance of getting vitiligo can be inherited. About 30% of vitiligo cases run in families.
Neurogenic factors: A substance that is toxic to melanocytes may be released at nerve endings in the skin
Self-destruction: A defect in the melanocytes causes them to destroy themselves.
symptoms of vitiligo
-Patchy loss of skin color, which usually first appears on the hands, face, and areas around body openings and the genitals
-Premature whitening or graying of the hair on your scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, or beard
-Loss of color in the tissues that line the inside of the mouth and nose (mucous membranes)
Treatments for Vitiligo
Repigmentation therapy:
Corticosteroids can be taken as a pill or topically as a cream to put on the skin. Results may take up to 3 months. The doctor will monitor the patient for any side effects, which can include skin thinning or striae (stretch marks) if used for a prolonged period.
Light therapy:
Narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) requires two to three treatment sessions per week for several months.
Combining oral psoralen and UVA (PUVA) is used to treat large areas of skin with vitiligo. This treatment is said to be very effective for people with vitiligo in the areas of the head, neck, trunk, upper arms, and legs.
Surgery
Autologous skin grafts: Skin is taken from one part of the patient and used to cover another part. Possible complications include scarring, infection, or a failure to re-pigment.
Micropigmentation: A type of tattooing that is usually applied to the lips of people affected by vitiligo.
Disclaimer- See your health care provider if areas of your skin, hair, or mucous membranes lose coloring. Vitiligo has no cure. But treatment might stop or slow the discoloring process and return some color to your skin.
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