Vitiligo: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
Vitiligo: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment. We offer an excellent remedy to remove spots on the skin. The remedy patches colored areas quickly.
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Vitiligo: What is it?
Vitiligo (pronounced “vit-il-EYE-go”) is a skin condition that causes your skin to lose its color or pigment. This also causes your skin to appear lighter than your natural skin tone or turn white. Areas of your skin that lose their pigment are called macules. If they’re less than 1 centimeter wide, or patches they’re larger than 1 centimeter. If you have vitiligo on a part of your body that has hair, your hair may turn white or silver. The condition occurs when your body’s immune system destroys melanocytes. Melanocytes are skin cells that produce melanin, the chemical that gives skin its color, or pigmentation.
Who does vitiligo affect?
Vitiligo affects all races and sexes equally. It’s more visible in people with darker skin tones. Although vitiligo can develop in anyone at any age, macules or patches usually become apparent before age 30.
You might be at a higher risk of developing vitiligo if you have certain autoimmune conditions like: Anemia, Diabetes (Type 1), Lupus, Psoriasis, Thyroid disease.
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What are the Causes of Vitiligo?
Scientists believe that vitiligo is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the melanocytes. In addition, researchers continue to study how family history and genes may play a role in causing vitiligo. Sometimes an event such as a sunburn, emotional distress, or exposure to a chemical can trigger vitiligo. The involved patches of skin become lighter or white. It’s unclear exactly what causes these pigment cells to fail or die. It may be related to:
- A disorder of the immune system (autoimmune condition)
- Family history (heredity)
- A trigger event, such as stress, severe sunburn or skin trauma, such as contact with a chemical.
The Symptoms of Vitiligo.
Vitiligo signs include:
- Patchy loss of skin color, which usually first appears on the hands, face, and areas around body openings and the genitals
- Premature whitening or graying of the hair on your scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows or beard
- Loss of color in the tissues that line the inside of the mouth and nose (mucous membranes)
Vitiligo can start at any age, but usually appears before age 30.
Depending on the type of vitiligo you have, it may affect:
- Nearly all skin surfaces. With this type, called universal vitiligo, the discoloration affects nearly all skin surfaces.
- Many parts of the body. With this most common type, called generalized vitiligo, the discolored patches often progress similarly on corresponding body parts (symmetrically).
- Only one side or part of the body. This type, called segmental vitiligo, tends to occur at a younger age, progress for a year or two, then stop.
- One or only a few areas of the body. This type is called localized (focal) vitiligo.
- The face and hands. With this type, called acrofacial vitiligo, the affected skin is on the face and hands, and around body openings, such as the eyes, nose and ears.
It’s difficult to predict how this disease will progress. Sometimes the patches stop forming without treatment. In most cases, pigment loss spreads and eventually involves most of the skin. Occasionally, the skin gets its color back.
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