Can vitiligo go away?

Safa

Dark or any shade of skin among most of us is usually the same color on our bodies. But this is not the case for people with vitiligo.

What Is Vitiligo?

Vitiligo (pronounced: (vih-tih-LY-go) is a loss of skin pigment that causes white patches or patches to appear on the skin. No one knows exactly why this happens but it affects people of all races where Many are children and teenagers.

Because vitiligo affects a person's appearance it can be disturbing. But it's not medically dangerous. This is not a form of skin cancer. This is not an infection like MRSA. And it's definitely not contagious so you can't get it from someone else. In fact most people Vitiligo is as healthy as anyone else.

What Happens?

To explain vitiligo it helps to first understand how the skin gets its color. Skin color is determined by cells called melanocytes. They produce a pigment called melanin which gives the skin its color and helps protect it from the sun.

Skin color is not determined by how many melanocytes a person has (we are born with similar numbers) but by how active the cells are. Dark-skinned people have cells that naturally produce large amounts of melanin while light-skinned people produce far less melanin.

Sometimes the skin suddenly stops making melanin. At first this can lead to a small spot called the macula that is lighter in color than the skin around it. Over time these white patches may spread and grow to cover most of the body. Sometimes these white patches spread quickly at first Then remain stable for many years. Other times it spreads more slowly and occurs for a longer period of time.

Although vitiligo affects people of all races equally the spots tend to be more noticeable on darker skin.

What Are the Types of Vitiligo?

There are three types of vitiligo depending on how many patches a person has and where they are on the body:

Focal vitiligo. A person has several vitiligo in one area.
Generalized vitiligo. A person has many leukoplakia all over their body and they tend to affect the left and right sides of the body in a symmetrical manner like mirror images. This is the most common type of vitiligo.
Segmental vitiligo. A person has a white spot on one part or side of the body usually nowhere else. This is the least common type of vitiligo.

Vitiligo can occur anywhere on the body but is more likely to occur in certain areas:

sun-exposed skin such as the face or hands
Wrinkled skin such as on the elbows knees or groin
skin around the eyes nostrils navel and genital area

Because pigment cells give color to hair and skin some teens with vitiligo may notice graying of their hair or lighter lips.

What Causes Vitiligo?

Experts don't know exactly what causes vitiligo but they do have theories. Some people think it's an autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy melanocytes. Others think it's genetic.

Scientists do know that people with a family history of thyroid disease diabetes and certain conditions such as alopecia (an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss) have an increased risk of vitiligo.

How Is Vitiligo Diagnosed?

A dermatologist can usually tell if someone has vitiligo by looking for visible white patches. For fair-skinned people a special tool called a Woods lamp may be used. This lamp uses UV light in dark rooms to illuminate areas of damaged skin that would otherwise be hard to see with the naked eye.

Your doctor will ask about your medical history and may also ask you about:

any skin conditions for you or your family
You or your family have had immunization problems in the past
any recent rashes or sunburns
have you been sick or stressed recently

Your doctor may also perform blood tests to check for thyroid problems and diabetes which can increase your risk of vitiligo.

Occasionally doctors will perform a biopsy removal of a small area of the affected area to check for pigment cells in the skin. (The word biopsy might make you think of cancer but in this case doctors aren't looking for cancer. People with vitiligo aren't at much of a risk for cancer more skin cancer than others. ) If the biopsy shows no pigment cells this may confirm a case of vitiligo.

How Is Vitiligo Treated?

There is no cure for vitiligo. Sometimes patches go away on their own. But if that doesn't happen your doctor can prescribe treatments that may help even out your skin tone. Some of these treatments are things you can try at home; others are done by a doctor.

People and conditions are very different so what works for one person may not work for another. And no vitiligo treatment is likely to be 100% effective in making the spots disappear completely.

Home Care

sunscreen. Use a good sunscreen every day. Because vitiligo does not have melanin it cannot be tanned. Vitiligo can burn or scar if the skin is not protected with sunscreen. Tanning the rest of your body will only accentuate the white patches especially if you have lighter skin.

cosmetic. Many different kinds of concealers are available over-the-counter and from dermatologists. Ask your doctor for advice and try different brands until you find the one that works best for you.

Medical Treatment

Some of the more common vitiligo treatments include:

Corticosteroid cream. When applied to white patches early in the disease corticosteroids may help restore some color to the skin by reducing inflammation that causes the skin to lose pigment cells. Don't let the word steroids put you off. Corticosteroids are not drugs Types of anabolic steroids used by athletes.
Photochemotherapy (also called PUVA). PUVA therapy has two steps: first a drug called psoralen is applied to the vitiligo of the skin or taken by mouth; then the skin is sometimes exposed to UV rays from the sun but more often from artificial light sources such as UVA lamps). this Turns affected skin pink fading to a more natural (usually slightly darker) color over time. You need to ask your doctor about the side effects of PUVA treatment - including the possibility of severe sunburn and skin blistering.
Narrowband Ultraviolet B (UVB) therapy. This treatment is more widely used than PUVA. It is similar except that the UV rays used are UVB instead of UVA. Psoralen is not required for UVB treatment to eliminate some of the risks associated with PUVA.

The researchers are working on a procedure called a melanocyte transplant. It works by removing a sample of normally pigmented skin and using it in the lab to grow new melanocytes. These can then be transplanted back into the depigmented skin to restore some of the missing color.

Living With Vitiligo

Vitiligo is not harmful to your health. However it's still a big deal if you're worried about your appearance.

It's normal to feel like you want to cover up your vitiligo and you need to do what makes you most comfortable. But if you start turning down every invitation to a pool party or beach it's a sign that you're taking your life back. If people ask about your skin go ahead and explain - if you will to. It helps to know that you are not alone.

In the end if people still don't seem to get it it's their problem not yours. If you're feeling uneasy get support from someone you trust whether it's a family friend teacher counselor or a support group. There are many people who love you as much as you do.