Vitiligo, Causes And Treatments

Almost 1 percent of the world's population has vitiligo. When you have vitiligo, the 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. Areas of lost pigment can develop anywhere on your body including: 1. Sun exposed areas like the feet ,arms,and face,2. Inside the mouth or other mucus membranes,3. Nostrils,4. Genitals,5.back of the eyes, lastly within the hearing system of the ear. Vitiligo can affect many parts of the body but it's not contagious. A person with vitiligo can't transmit it to someone else. The primary symptoms of vitiligo is white patches on the skin. And it can affect any area of the body. The patches can appear Small or large as one of the following patterns: Segmental or focal : White patches tend to be smaller and appear in one or few areas of the body. When vitiligo appears in a focal or Segmental pattern, it tends to stay in one area one side of the body.2. Non segmental or generalized: Widespread white patches appear symmetrically on both sides of the body, this is the most common pattern and can affect pigment cell in the body. It's unknown what actually causes vitiligo. The condition doesn't appear to be inherited. Most people with vitiligo don't have a family history of the disorder. But family family history of vitiligo or other autoimmune conditions may increase your risk even though it doesn't cause vitiligo. Some experts also report vitiligo appearing after incidents of : 1. Severe sunburns or cuts, 2: exposure to toxins and chemicals 3. High levels of stress. Treatments of vitiligo aim to restore color balance to your skin. Some treatments aim to add pigment while others remove it. The types of treatments include, Medical, surgical or combination of both. But not all treatments work for everyone and so.e may cause unwanted side effects. Always contact your doctor if you start experiencing side effects due to a treatment. The may re- adjust your dosage or provide alternatives. Research shows that people with vitiligo tend to develop issues around emotional stress and self-esteem. One study also found that parents of children with vitiligo report lower for quality of life. But vitiligo isn't contagious nor does it cause any negative physical effects. People with vitiligo can live a healthy and active life.