Vitiligo is a skin condition that causes the cells that make pigment (called melanocytes) to die. When this happens, white patches develop on your skin.
The exact cause of vitiligo is unknown and there is no cure for vitiligo. However, there are some treatments that may help restore pigment to the affected areas of skin.
Melanocytes are the cells responsible for producing melanin, which gives your eyes, hair and skin their color. Melanin is also what protects you from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. When melanocytes die or stop producing melanin, white patches develop on your skin. The reason why these cells die or no longer produce pigment isn’t known, but it’s likely that vitiligo is an autoimmune disease.
Vitiligo is a skin disease which is characterized by the appearance of white patches on the skin. It usually occurs when melanin, the pigment that gives your skin its color, is destroyed. This destruction may occur because of an autoimmune disorder in which your body’s own immune system attacks and destroys melanin cells. Vitiligo can also be caused by sunburn, stress, and exposure to industrial chemicals.
There are two types of vitiligo – generalized and localized. In generalized vitiligo, white spots appear on several parts of the body. The most common areas affected include hands, feet, face, arms and legs. Localized vitiligo is confined to one or two places in the body such as the hands or feet.
Vitiligo has no cure yet, but there are many treatment options available for you to choose from depending on your condition. Visit our website to find out more about vitiligo and how it can be treated effectively.
Vitiligo, which is also known as Leucoderma, is a skin disease that causes the loss of color in patches of skin. It may occur anywhere on the body, but usually affects the face, neck, hands and genitals.
It may affect people of any race or nationality. It usually begins before age 20 and affects about 1 per cent of the world’s population.
The exact cause of vitiligo is unknown. Most cases are thought to be an autoimmune disorder where the body produces antibodies that attack its own pigment cells (melanocytes). Other cases appear to be linked to certain viral illnesses.
The symptoms include discoloration in patches of skin, premature whitening or graying of the hair on your scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows or beard. The condition can affect any and all areas of your body including your eyes and inner mouth. In addition to changes in skin coloring you may also experience sensitivity to sunlight, vision problems if it occurs in or around your eyes and patchy hair loss on your scalp or beard area.
Diagnosis usually begins with a physical examination. A Wood’s lamp examination may be done to help determine if you have vitiligo or some other type of pigmentation problem such as post inflammatory hypopig
Vitiligo is a skin condition characterized by depigmentation of portions of the skin. There are many different types of vitiligo that can affect different areas of the body. One type of vitiligo called segmental vitiligo (or localized vitiligo) affects only one side of the body. It is most common in children and young adults but can occur at any age. Segmental vitiligo typically appears on the face, neck, armpits, groin, elbows, knees or ankles and tends to be more stable than other forms of vitiligo.
An autoimmune disease is believed to be the underlying cause of vitiligo. An autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells in the body. In this case, it is thought that the immune system attacks melanocytes or pigment-producing cells in the skin resulting in depigmentation.
Vitiligo is a long-term skin condition characterized by patches of the skin losing their pigment. The extent and rate of color loss from vitiligo is unpredictable. It can affect the skin on any part of your body. It may also affect hair and the inside of the mouth. The involved patches of skin become white and usually have sharp margins. The hair that grows in areas affected by vitiligo usually turns white.
The exact cause of vitiligo is unknown. Most researchers believe that it is an autoimmune disorder that causes immune cells to attack and destroy the melanocytes in the skin. Onset may be sudden or gradual. The condition affects both sexes equally, and it is neither contagious nor life-threatening.
The most common areas for vitiligo to first develop are hands, feet, arms, face, and lips. Smaller patches of depigmentation can develop anywhere on the body, including inside the mouth and hair (in which case it is known as poliosis). Vitiligo typically develops before age 40 but can occur at any age.
Vitiligo may be associated with other autoimmune conditions such as thyroid disease, adrenocortical insufficiency (Addison’s disease), pernicious anemia, alopec
The appearance of white patches on the skin is called vitiligo or leucoderma. They are oval or round in shape, smooth and painless. These patches occur when the cells that produce melanin (pigment which gives colour to the skin) die or stop functioning.
Vitiligo can affect any part of the body including hair and the retina of the eye. The condition is more noticeable in people with darker skin. Vitiligo affects both sexes equally, and mostly begins before age 30.
In some cases, vitiligo spreads slowly over many years, with new patches appearing for months or years at a time. In other cases, it spreads quickly at first and then remains stable for years. It may be localized (only one area of the body is affected), or generalized (many areas are affected).
Causes:
The exact cause of vitiligo is not known but most experts believe that it is an autoimmune condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys certain cells within the body. Some researchers have also found a genetic basis for this disease as it commonly runs in families.
A few common triggers include:
Sunburn: Excessive exposure to sunlight can cause a sunburn which can trigger vitiligo in some people
Vitiligo is a depigmentation disorder of the skin and mucous membranes. Vitiligo occurs when melanocytes, the cells that make pigment (color), in the skin, die or stop producing melanin — the pigment that gives your skin, hair and eyes color. The involved patches of skin become lighter or white. It can also affect hair and the inside of the mouth.
Vitiligo usually starts as small areas of pigment loss that spread and become larger with time. These white patches also can appear on different parts of your body at the same time. Most people develop vitiligo before age 40; about half develop it before age 20. About one person in 10 is affected by vitiligo. Vitiligo affects all races, but may be more noticeable in people with darker skin.
The cause of vitiligo is unknown, but researchers believe it may arise from autoimmune, genetic, oxidative stress, neural or viral causes. The main factor believed to contribute to vitiligo is genetics (heredity). Other factors associated with vitiligo are stress and exposure to industrial chemicals and sunlight.
Treatment options include topical creams, oral medications, light therapy and surgery. Topical creams include corticosteroids and calcine