Have you heard about vitiligo skin disease? Are you or any of your close assistances suffering from it? If yes, then you must be looking for complete information about this skin problem. Well, no worries! We have covered everything about vitiligo in the sections below, including brief info about it, causes behind it, possible cure options, and much more.

What Is Vitiligo?

Vitiligo is a skin disorder condition that causes the skin to lose its natural color. Also, in this disease, smooth patches of the white area appear on a person’s skin. Sometimes, the person’s hair also turns white if he/she has vitiligo. 

You must be now wondering why this situation happens? Well, basically, our skin cells have melanocytes that produce melanin. Note that melanin is the chemical that gives skin its color and pigmentation. For vitiligo patients, their body’s immune system destroys these melanocytes’ skin cells and as a result, the skin pigmentation is lost, and white patches appear on the skin. You may read through our online pharmacy reviews to find possible medication options for vitiligo.

Different Types of Vitiligo 

In the previous sections, you have revealed a brief introduction to vitiligo.

It’s now the time to find all different types of vitiligo.

• Generalized Vitiligo: It’s the most common type of vitiligo when macules (smooth white areas) will appear in various places on the person’s body.
• Mucosal Vitiligo: In this case, the mucous membranes of the person’s mouth and/or the genital areas are affected i.e. pigmentation is lost.
• Segmental Vitiligo: If someone is suffering from this particular vitiligo condition, then one side of the body or one area, maybe the hands or face will lose its color and pigmentation.
• Focal Vitiligo: This is a bit rare type of vitiligo where the macules will be restricted to small areas and do not spread much.
• Universal Vitiligo: Just like the above one, this is also a rare type of vitiligo. In this case, more than 80% of the skin of the person’s body lacks pigment.
• Trichome Vitiligo: In this case, patients will have a white or colorless center, some portions with lighter pigmentation, and other portions with normally colored skin.

What Causes Vitiligo?

In the above sections, we have discussed the different types of vitiligo disease.

Let’s now find out the causes of this disease.

• Autoimmune disorder: In some cases, it has been found that the affected person’s immune system will develop antibodies that will destroy melanocytes.
• Neurogenic factors: Sometimes, the substance that is toxic to melanocytes is released at nerve endings in the person’s skin.
• Self-destruction: This is another defect where the body’s melanocytes will automatically be destroyed by themselves.
• Genetic factors: Certain factors, specifically genetic factors that may increase the chance of getting vitiligo are often inherited. It has been found that about 30% of vitiligo cases will run in families.
• Physical and Emotional Stress: Vitiligo skin disease can also be triggered by certain events, for example, stress and anxiety. 

Signs and Symptoms of Vitiligo

There are two major symptoms of vitiligo skin disease.

• Patches of skin will eventually lose color and pigmentation. 
• Patches of hair will be prematurely gray and white.

Typically, it has been found that vitiligo starts with a few small white patches and gradually spreads throughout the body over the course of several months. Also, it has been observed that vitiligo can be developed on any parts of the body like mucous membranes, inner ears, eyes, mouth, nose, rectal, and genital areas.

Is Vitiligo Painful?

Vitiligo condition is not painful that’s because this is a skin problem. Sometimes, it may cause painful sunburns on the vitiligo-affected areas. What’s more, vitiligo may even cause itchy skin and depigmentation as well. 

Since this skin disease lacks melanocytes, the skin cells become more sensitive to sunlight, and they may burn more than tanning. Vitiligo patients may also suffer from various autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, anemia, and alopecia areata. 

Is Vitiligo Common Issue?

Vitiligo can be found in around 1%-2% of the world population. Please note that this skin problem can affect any race and gender. However, people with darker skin are found to have vitiligo. Please note that this skin issue can develop in anyone at any age condition. Most commonly, people between the ages of 10 to 30 years are mostly infected with vitiligo.

How Is Vitiligo Treated?

Now, the interesting question – how this vitiligo skin disease is treated? Unfortunately, there is no available cure for this skin disease. The goal of medical treatment is to ensure a uniform skin tone. The common treatment options include repigmentation therapy, light therapy, camouflage therapy, and surgery. 

In camouflage therapy, patients are advised to apply sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. The sunscreen is aimed to shield ultraviolet B light and ultraviolet A light radiations. It minimizes tanning. Somebody will also apply hair dyes if this skin problem affects the hair as well.

Another treatment condition is repigmentation therapy which can be taken orally and topically. When this therapy is applied for 3 months or even more, then skin thinning or striae issue is often cured.

In light therapy, excimer lasers are used to treat large areas of skin with vitiligo including the neck, head, upper arms, and legs. Note that the light therapy is applied in small, targeted areas. Other options are surgery and counseling. 

In surgery, autologous skin graft surgery is used. Skin is taken from one part of the affected patient, and then it’s used to cover another part. Micropigmentation surgery is usually applied to the lips of people. 

Other than that, there are some medicines available for the treatment of vitiligo. Before purchasing these medicines, please feel free to check our online pharmacy reviews.

How Can You Prevent Vitiligo?

As discussed above, vitiligo treatment options are pretty limited. Similarly, it’s not completely known how this disease should be prevented. No one exactly knows how to prevent this skin problem. It’s mainly suggested to follow good skincare habits and safe sun exposure habits.

Conclusion

Vitiligo is a skin disease that can affect anyone. All types of vitiligo conditions are shared above. Also, we have even mentioned the possible cure and treatment options as well. Do not forget to check our online pharmacy reviews before you purchase any medicines.

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