Vitiligo: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

Vitiligo is a disorder that causes skin to lose its colour and pale white patches develop on the skin. It is a long term condition caused by the lack of melanin, which is the pigment in skin. It may affect either a part of the body or the whole skin surfaces.

Symptoms of vitiligo

Appearance of flat lighter-coloured spots or patches on the skin or mucous membrane shows the development of vitiligo. The first white spot that becomes noticeable is often an area exposed to the sun. It is a simple, paler, spot irregular in shape which usually does not cause irritation. Further, patches of hair on the body turn silver, grey or white.

Symptoms can be mild and only affect a small area of the body or severe and affect a large area of your skin. Some people with vitiligo experience itchy skin before depigmentation starts. 

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Causes of vitiligo :-

Vitiligo occurs when melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells present in the skin, die or stop producing melanin. Melanin is the pigment inside these cells that gives colour to skin, hair and eyes. The affected patches of skin become lighter than the rest of the skin or they can become white. It may be due to some disorder in the immune system, genetic, stress, severe sunburn or skin trauma, such as contact with a chemical, etc.

People with vitiligo may have increased risk of certain health issues. These can be psychological or social distress, sunburn, eye problems or hearing loss.

TYPES:-

• Generalised vitiligo is the one where there’s appearance of macules on the skin of various body parts.
• Segmental  vitiligo only affects one side of the body or one area.
• Mucosal vitiligo affects mucous membranes of the mouth and genitals.
• Focal vitiligo is a rare type where the macules develop in a small area and don’t spread in a certain pattern within one to two years.
• Trichrome vitiligo causes a bullseye with a white or colourless centre, then an area of lighter pigmentation, and an area of your natural skin tone.
• Universal vitiligo is a rare type that causes more than 80% of the skin to not have pigment.

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TREATMENT:- 

Medications

• Drugs that control inflammation. 
• Medications that affect the immune system. 

Therapies

Light therapy. 

Combining psoralen and light therapy. 

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Removing the remaining color called depigmentation. 

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Surgery

• Skin grafting. 
• Blister grafting. 
• Cellular suspension transplant.