Vitiligo is a skin disorder that results in areas of skin that lose normal pigmentation. This can happen anywhere on the body where pigmented cells are present, including tissues and hair in the mouth, nose and eyes. The disease is not life-threatening, nor contagious, But the unpigmented skin is sensitive to sunburn and certain areas can be itchy. A more serious concern is vitiligo patients often experience depression over the social stigma they’re experiencing and over the way they look. In some cases, patients have hyperpigmentation disorders, where the skin is producing too much pigment resulting from a stimulus. These conditions include lentigines, melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Treatment for such disorders is done by board-certified dermatologists that specialize in skin pigment disorders.
What Causes Vitiligo?
The causes for the disorder are unknown, however, there might be a genetic factor to the disorder. Those with vitiligo have more susceptible pigment cells (melanocytes). Damaged caused to these cells from sunburn, trauma, or other reasons can result in an autoimmune reaction that can destroy the melanocytes, making the skin turn white.
Symptoms Of Vitiligo
The only symptoms are the loss of color in certain areas. The affected areas are white in color since they have no pigment. The patches usually appear on:
- Arms and hands
- Legs and feet
- The face (generally around
What Are The Treatments For Vitiligo?
At facilities like Medical Spa in Millburn, NJ, they work with every patient to figure out a treatment plan that can obtain maximum results. Their approaches can include:
Oral And Topical Treatments To Inhibit Progression
The first thing to do when treatment vitiligo is avoiding the condition from escalating. This is done with a combination of oral and topical medicines for the affective areas. This can include antioxidants and B complex. Even though these therapies can’t majorly improve the already existing vitiligo areas, it can prevent further spreading of the disease.
Light Therapy
Home light therapy modalities as well as narrow band ultraviolet A & B treatments is used for treating the disorder. The approach for treatment of vitiligo is varied from the ones utilized for treating psoriasis and other skin disorders. For optimal results, the treatment protocols are tailored specifically to every patient.
Laser Therapy
Laser treatment is used for treating vitiligo at higher doses. Light therapy is effective through activating the melanocyte stem cells. These cells are found around hair follicles and by using light therapy the cells are stimulated to migrate from the hair into the skin. Excimer laser treatment is more effective for some patients as opposed to traditional light box therapy since the therapy can be focused on a specific area and at a higher dose. This treatment method has been used for many years.
Skin Grafting
Skin grafts may be necessary on particular areas that are resisting therapies. This entails transferring small sections of normally pigmented skin to areas with vitiligo. The grafted areas are then treated with light therapy to encourage melanocyte stem cells to transfer into the surrounding skin that is unpigmented. The grafts are very tiny, therefore very little scarring is visible after the procedure.
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