Millions of individuals worldwide suffer from various skin disorders, including acne and scarring. Vitiligo is one such commonly occurring disorder. The majority of people have seen or come across someone who has vitiligo. It is not life-threatening, and aside from skin pallor, it rarely results in problems.
Understanding Vitiligo
Vitiligo is a medical skin condition that occurs when the skin cells, sometimes referred to as melanocytes, that are responsible for skin colour are lost. Melanocytes cannot produce melanin, a skin pigment, and the affected skin area becomes white or loses colour.
Patients with vitiligo comprise between 0.5% and 1% of the global population. According to a Lancet study, the prevalence is as high as 8.8% in India. The illness is neither severe nor communicable.
Any body part, including the face, arms, legs, and other sun-exposed areas, could lose its pigment. Additionally, it can appear inside the mouth, nostrils, genitalia, the rear of the eyes, or the eye's hearing system. The greying of hair might also occur in the afflicted areas.
What Are Vitiligo Symptoms?
The following list includes vitiligo symptoms:
- An early whitening or greying of the hair, eyebrows, lashes, and facial hair; pale or white areas on the face.
- Lack of pigment in the mucous membranes or the inner lining of the nose or lips.
- White spots on the hands and cheeks are present in approximately 75% of those with the illness.
- The groynes and the space under the arms are typical locations.
Types of Vitiligo
The many kinds of vitiligo differ according to the skin regions affected, such as:
- Universal Vitiligo: This vitiligo affects mainly the skin surface.
- Segmental Vitiligo: This usually progresses slowly and only affects one side of the body.
- Generalised Vitiligo is one of the most common issues and usually affects melanocyte cells anywhere in the body.
- Focal Vitiligo: It appears as smaller patches on specific body parts.
- Acrofacial: It primarily affects the facial region, hands, and feet.
Risks Associated With Vitiligo
There is no known cause for vitiligo, as it is not an inherited condition. However, a study found that having other autoimmune diseases or a family history of the disease can raise the likelihood of getting vitiligo.
Due to the body's attack on its cells, the condition is autoimmune. Twenty per cent of vitiligo patients also have other autoimmune diseases. The following are other autoimmune conditions connected to vitiligo.
- Addison's Disease
- Addison's Thyroiditis
- Psoriasis; Baldness
- Inability to Assimilate Vitamin B12
- Type 1 Diabetes
- Rheumatoid Arthritis;
- Sclerosis
Treatment For Vitiligo
The goal of treatment for this illness is to restore the colour balance. Depending on the following factors, some treatments add colour to the skin while others remove it.
- The patch position and size
- How receptive are you to the therapy?
- Do you have numerous patches?
- How severe the problem is
- How widespread it is
There are numerous therapy options, some of which are given here.
1. A Medical Diagnosis
The typical time frame for the treatment to produce apparent results is three months or longer. Topical creams, oral drugs, psoralen and ultraviolet A light therapy, narrowband ultraviolet B light therapy, depigmentation, and excimer laser therapy are only a few of the available medical treatments.
2. Surgical Intervention
If the medical therapy is unsuccessful, there are numerous surgical choices. When your condition is stable and not brought on by sun damage, your doctor might recommend such a course of action. The subsequent surgical possibilities are:
- Skin grafting is a procedure in which a doctor transplants healthy, pigmented skin to places that are deficient in it. Infection, scarring, or pigmentation failure are some
hazards of this treatment.
- Melanocyte transplants are a procedure in which a portion of healthy tissue is removed, its melanocyte cells are cultured, and then it is transplanted to a bald area.
Alternatives For Managing The Condition While Receiving Treatment
You can incorporate some components into your everyday life even though you could be undergoing treatment for vitiligo. To lessen exposure to the sun, use sunscreen. Your skin's contrast will change as you can, and the sun can harm the regions where your skin has lost its colour.
Makeup and self-tanning creams do work. Creams for self-tanners last longer, even after washing. However, a condition like vitiligo is normal; thus, surviving with or without treatment is perfectly good.
The Final Say
Because vitiligo is a skin condition, society ought to comprehend it similarly. Various treatment methods are accessible, and individuals who desire to use them can. However, if persons with this disease want something different, society should accept it.
The best dermatology and cosmetology department can be found at Bansal Hospital in Bhopal, which also offers effective treatment for various skin ailments and disorders.
About Bansal Hospital
Bansal Hospital is a multispeciality hospital and is one of the leading, reputable and reliable healthcare providers trusted by patients and their families across the region. It has all the central departments, including cardiology, neurology, oncology, orthopedics, gastroenterology, urology, liver transplant, bone marrow transplantation, nephrology, gynecology and more. The hospital is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and technology. It has a team of highly qualified and experienced doctors and medical staff who provide round-the-clock care to the patient.
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