Debunked Myths About Vitiligo

Is Vitiligo Contagious? 

No, vitiligo is not contagious.

Is Vitiligo Treatment Effective?

Unfortunately no method has a guaranteed success. Steroids may produce some improvements if used in the long-term, but this is not recommended because of side effects. Light therapy is effective to an extent, but it is very time consuming and can cause eye damage, skin burns and skin cancer. Skin grafting should in theory be very effective, but in reality many complications occur, including rejection of the graft, infection, and abnormal appearance of the grafted skin (cobblestone effect).

Is It True That Vitiligo Can Be Cured Without Any Medications Or Surgery?

Yes, there has been numerous research papers published that reported that in scientific trials, patients have been cured of vitiligo using a combination of 3 vitamins, herbal extracts or a combination of herbals and vitamins. It has also been shown that dietary changes can have a pronounced effect of the condition.

Is Vitiligo possible to treat?

Conventional medical treatments for vitiligo include: UV light therapy re-pigmentation, corticosteroids (oral or topical), skin grafting, skin tattooing, and in extensive cases of vitiligo, de-pigmentation of the rest of the skin to match the color of the affected skin.

How Is Vitiligo Diagnosed?

A doctor will diagnose vitiligo by doing a physical examination, taking a patient’s history and possibly carrying out a biopsy and/or blood test to rule out other conditions.

Is Anyone at Risk Of Developing Vitiligo?

Anyone can develop vitiligo and both genders have an equal chance of getting vitiligo. All races exhibit a similar prevalence of this condition. However, you are more likely of developing vitiligo if a parent has it, if you or someone in your family has an autoimmune condition (such as hyperthyroidism), and if you experienced graying of hair before the age of 35.

Read more at Vitiligo Cure Information

Vitiligo – A Chronic Skin Disorder

What is Vitiligo?

An acquired skin pigmentation disorder Characterized by white patches that are often surrounded by a heavily pigmented border.

Vitiligo Leukoderma is derived from two Greek words “Leuko” & “Derma” “ Leuko” means white & “Derma” means skin.

Who is affected by Vitiligo?

1% of the world population Irrespective of sex and race, relatives of a person with vitiligo.

Effects of Vitiligo

• Gradual loss of melanin resulting in depigmentation
• White patches on different parts of the body which may start progression
• Psychological disorders Does not cause any organic harm (Physical harm or disability)

Symptoms & Course of Vitiligo

Most people who get vitiligo lose color on their skin. The affected skin can lighten or turn completely white. Many people do not have any other signs or symptoms; they feel healthy.

• White patches on the skin which may vary in size or shape.
• These patches may appear on different parts of the body
• The hair that is present on the affected areas sometimes turn white.
• These patches may start progression and sometimes re-pigment on its own

Today, most doctors recognize two types of vitiligo. If you are diagnosed with vitiligo, your dermatologist may tell you what type and subtype you have.

Type	Traits
Segmental vitiligoAlso called: Unilateral vitiligo	Appears on 1 segment of the body, such as a leg, face or arm. About half of people lose some hair color, such as on the head, an eyelash or an eyebrow. Often begins at an early age. Often progresses for a year or so then stops.
Non-segmental vitiligoAlso called: Bilateral vitiligo Vitiligo vulgaris Generalized vitiligo	Most common type. Appears on both sides of the body, such as both hands or both knees. Often begins on hands, fingertips, wrists, around the eyes or mouth, or on the feet. Often begins with rapid loss of skin color, which then stops for a while. Color loss often starts up later. This start-and-stop cycle usually continues throughout a person’s lifetime. Color loss tends to expand, growing more noticeable and covering a larger area.

Subtypes: The subtype tells you how much vitiligo appears on the body. The vitiligo subtypes are:

Localized: One or a few spots or patches appear, but these are limited to one or a few areas of the body.

Generalized: Most people develop this subtype, which causes scattered patches on the body.

Universal: Most pigment is gone. This is rare.

References:

http://www.aad.org/dermatology-a-to-z/diseases-and-treatments/u—w/vitiligo/signs-symptoms

http://www.slideshare.net/VitiligoGuide/vitiligo-2812227?from_search=21

 

Read more atVitiligo Cure Information

UV Light Therapy for Vitiligo

Hundreds of studies have been conducted demonstrating that phototherapy lamps are effective in treating Vitiligo as well as other skin conditions. Using UV light therapy is not new.  It has been around for many years.

However, more recent studies and modern technology has perfect the use of UV light rays to perfect the treatment.  The skin absorbs UVB light due to its unique wavelengths.  That energy influences the skin cells by energetically stimulating melanin production.

Normal sunlight has a negative effect on certain types of skin because it is “full spectrum” light and includes properties that are harmful to the skin.  You cannot isolate the beneficial rays of light when you use natural sunlight.

The UVB heat lamp isolates the positive rays—those that are beneficial to skin and allows anyone with an electrical source to utilize the positive benefits of UVB light.

Conventional UVB lamps are still too “broad spectrum” to be of benefit for Vitiligo sufferers.  They still emit the harmful shorter wavelengths that result in sunburn.  Consumers can now purchase “narrow band” UVB lamps which emit a very short range of wavelength. These narrow bands stay close within the therapeutic range.   So, the narrow band UVB lamp is the way to go for safe treatment of Vitiligo.

It is important to speak with your dermatologist about using UVB light to treat Vitiligo.  If your doctor is familiar with the treatment, he or she can give you a time schedule so that you can gradually increase exposure to the light over time.  You will be able to administer the treatment in the comfort of your own home.

It is important to note that UVB light is best used on the diseased areas of the body.  You will treat your skin for two weeks at a time, in very short periods of time.  You will begin with short, one minute sessions.  After two weeks, you will take a break and then begin again.  The length of time for the treatments and the breaks should be determined by your dermatologist.

It is very important to remember that UVB light can cause sunburn and even skin cancer.  That is why, UV light therapy for Vitiligo is used in very short, brief periods, just to stimulate healing.  And, once again, consult your dermatologist before beginning/using UVB light therapy to treat Vitiligo.

Read more at Vitiligo Cure Information