Vitiligo is a condition in which the skin loses its pigment cells (melanocytes). This can result in discolored patches in different areas of the body, including the skin, hair and mucous membranes. Vitiligo (vit-ih-LIE-go) is a disease that causes loss of skin color in patches.
Where does vitiligo usually start?
Vitiligo typically begins on the hands, forearms, feet, and face but can develop on any part of the body, including the mucous membranes (moist lining of the mouth, nose, genital, and rectal areas), the eyes, and inner ears.
How do you treat skin pigment loss?
There is no cure. Treatment may include covering smaller patches with long-lasting dyes, light-sensitive medicines, UV light therapy, corticosteroid creams, surgery, and removing the remaining pigment from the skin (depigmentation).
Can skin pigment be restored?
Your doctor may recommend topical creams, ultraviolet light therapy, or oral medication to help restore skin color and stop the spread of white patches. Skin grafts are also effective for getting rid of small patches of white skin.
How do I know if I have vitiligo at home?
There are no at-home tests available to diagnose vitiligo. However, you can do a general self-check of your skin and look for patchy or widespread loss of pigmentation (the coloring of your skin, hair, and eyes).
What can trigger vitiligo?
Vitiligo triggers include autoimmune disease, neurogenic factors, genetics, sunburn, stress and chemical exposure. Vitiligo is a skin condition that affects about 1% of the global population. It’s often viewed as a cosmetic problem since it affects your appearance, but vitiligo is a medical condition.
How can I get melanin back in my skin?
Vitamin A. Studies suggest vitamin A is important to melanin production and is essential to having healthy skin. You get vitamin A from the food you eat, especially vegetables that contain beta carotene, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, and peas.
Why am I losing pigment in my skin?
Vitiligo is caused by the lack of a pigment called melanin in the skin. Melanin is produced by skin cells called melanocytes, and it gives your skin its colour. In vitiligo, there are not enough working melanocytes to produce enough melanin in your skin. This causes white patches to develop on your skin or hair.
What causes a loss of pigmentation?
Pigment loss may occur after skin inflammation caused by disorders like psoriasis, lupus, seborrheic dermatitis and eczema. In all of these disorders, the pigment loss appears as irregular patches of poorly defined whitening, and there may be scaling if the underlying disorder is scaly. Pigment loss may also occur with scarring.
How do you lose pigment in skin?
Almost 1 percent of the world’s population has vitiligo. When you have vitiligo, the cells that are responsible for your skin color are destroyed. These cells, called melanocytes, no longer produce skin pigment, called melanin. Once the cells no longer produce melanin, areas of your skin will lose color or turn white.
What is the loss of pigment in the skin?
Melanin is the pigment that gives the skin its characteristic color. Vitiligo is caused by a loss of pigment in the skin, due to destruction of pigment-forming cells known as melanocytes.
