Vitiligo is usually considered to be a disease that causes discoloration of skin in patches. The discoloured areas on the skin gradually get bigger with the passage of time. It can occur on any body part, including hair and the inner side of the mouth.
Risk factors
Vitiligo can be seen on any skin type. But, if we compare, people with dark skin tone are more likely to experience Vitiligo. However, Vitiligo is not a life-threatening disease as it is not contagious. But sometimes people suffering from Vitiligo are seen to be depressed because of the discoloration of the skin.
Symptoms
Some of the signs that can help you identify Vitiligo are:
- A sudden discoloration of the skin on a particular area, mainly, on the hands, face, and other commonly-exposed body parts.
- Premature whitening of hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes.
- Loss of colour of the tissues, usually inside the mouth and the nose.
Complications
This discoloration of skin also has some serious complications like,
- Social distress or depression
- Severe sunburn
- Loss of hearing
- Eye or visionary issues
Causes
The major cause of suffering from Vitiligo is when the cells that produce pigment die or get damaged. As a result, the production of melanin stops, and the patches of the skin become lighter or whitish with the flow of time. Dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons opine that there are certain factors that are somehow responsible for this issue.
- A disorder or poor immune system
- Contact with certain chemicals
- Family history
- Extreme sunburn
- Stress, tension, or a bad mental state
Treatment for Vitiligo
Vitiligo does not get cured completely. But proper treatment at the proper time can stop its severity and restore the skin colour to normalcy. A doctor generally recommends a proper medication as maintenance therapy to prevent further discolouration of the skin. Besides medication, light-based therapies are also available as a treatment of Vitiligo.
However, if light therapy and medications do not become successful to prevent the spread of discoloration, some people opt for surgeries too.
- Skin grafting. In this surgical procedure, a cosmetic surgeon transfers very small sections of healthy and pigmented skin to areas that have lost pigmentation and become discoloured.
- Blister grafting. Through this procedure, a plastic and cosmetic surgeon makes blisters on the pigmented skin, usually with the help of suction, and then transplants the tops of the blisters to the Vitiligo-affected skin.
- Cellular suspension transplant. Via this surgical procedure, a surgeon takes some tissue on the pigmented skin, puts the cells into a solution, and then transplants them onto the affected area.