Beauty Doc Blog

Vitiligo, also known as leukoderma is a chronic skin condition which causes a loss of pigmentation and as a result causes irregular, pale patches in the skin. The cause is complex and is not yet fully understood by researchers, but evidence exists that a combination of genetic, environmental and auto immune factors contribute to it. The population incidence is between one and two percent in the United States. It is thought of as a rare disease that affects about one out of every two thousand individuals. It often takes hold in young adulthood and will progress with expanding lesions. About half of the people who have vitiligo develop these patches of skin without pigmentation before they reach their twenties. The patches can grow, shrink or they can remain constant in size and will often occur in a symmetrical fashion across both sides of a person’s body. Small areas may repigment as melanocytes recolonize the area however. The location of the disorder can change over time, with time areas repigmenting and others becoming affected. Mild trauma to a skin area is also shown to cause new patches. As an example, friction from shoes can cause vitiligo around the ankles. It can also be caused by stress as that can affect the immune system. When it occurs on the scalp it can affect hair color and leave white patches. For this reason many of those who suffer from this ailment use cosmetic camouflage solutions. A pale skinned person will avoid sunlight and try not to tan the affected skin. Exposure to sunlight can cause the melanocytes to regenerate, which can either help the entire area by brining back pigmentation, or bring it back to only part of the area.

Traditional treatment given by dermatologists and available in many medical spas is corticosteroid cream. Phototherapy can also be beneficial in many patents. Long wave ultra violet light either from the sun or from UVA lamps combined with Psoralen, resulting in a treatment called PUVA assists many. The Psoralen can be taken in pill form up to two hours before exposure, or it can be taken as a soak or bath of the entire area. Another treatment is exposure to narrow band UVB light at a 311-313 nanometers wavelength. With this treatment the effect of the lamp is strong enough to avoid use of Psoralen. Those who believe they may be affected by vitiligo should consult a physician or a health care professional. Many medical spas are set up for proper treatment.