Vitiligo

It’s a skin disorder that the late Michael Jackson said he had which explained the severe lightening of his skin. It’s also the skin disorder that affected my Dad a long time ago. He still has it, but not so drastic as before. It’s called Vitiligo and it can cause great emotional distress to people who become afflicted with it. There is currently no cure for it and the best that you can do is use makeup to cover it up as much as possible.

What is Vitiligo?

Vitiligo (vit-ih-LI-go) is a condition where the  skin loses melanin. Melanin is the pigment that determines the color of the skin, hair and eyes.  The cells that produce melanin die or no longer form melanin which causes enlarged white patches on the skin.

Vitiligo affects all races, but is more noticeable  in those with darker skin.

There is no cure for vitiligo.

What Causes It?

Though it is unknown, autoimmunity may be a factor. Some conditions are associated with Vitiligo

• Pernicious anemia
• Hyperthyroidism
• Addison’s disease

Symptoms

• Milky-white type of patches on the skin
• Premature whitening or graying of the hair on scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows or beard

• Loss of color inside your mouth
• Loss of or change in color of the inner layer of your eye

Who Does it Affect?

It usually occurs between the ages of 10-30. There are 3 types of patterns it falls under:

• Focal. Depigmentation is limited to one or a few areas of your body.
• Segmental. Loss of skin color occurs on only one side of your body.
• Generalized. Pigment loss is widespread across many parts of your body, often symmetrically.

When to see a doctor

Even though there is no cure , there are treatments available that may help slow down the process.

Treatments Available

• Light therapy using UV rays
• Trisoralen
• Medicines applied to the skin such as:
  1. Corticosteroid creams
  2. Immunosuppressants such as pimecrolimus (Elidel) and tacrolimus (Protopic)
  3. Repigmenting agents such as methoxsalen (Oxsoralen)

Related articles by Zemanta

• Michael Jackson’s Legs covered in Sores, Needle Scars (PHOTOS) (inquisitr.com)
• Vitiligo Turned Young Woman From Black to White (shoppingblog.com)

Tags: Conditions and Diseases, Human skin color, Skin Disorders, Vitiligo

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 10:35 pm and is filed under Disease info, General, Health and Beauty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.