Types and Treatments For Vitiligo Skin Disorders

Posted on February 5th, 2010

Vitiligo is a skin disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. The most common sign of this disorder is white patches of skin in various places on the body or more rarely, over most of the body. While this isn’t a deadly disorder, it is psychologically painful, and damaging to a persons mental well being. There are three types, and various treatments for each, we’ll discuss them here.

The most common type, generalized vitiligo, usually starts around the hands, arms, legs, feet, or occasionally on the face. It will start with a rapid depigmentation of patches of skin, sometimes stopping for periods of time, but can continue for a lifetime.

In the type of vitiligo called segmental, the blotches tend to be located in one segment of the body. This type also tends to develop at an early age, and only progress for a year or two. This type is sometimes called unilateral vetiligo due to the fact that it generally is contained on one side of the body.

The third type, trichrome vitiligo, is defined by three shades of color on the skin. White, tan, and brown will develop in much the same manner as generalized vitiligo.

On rare occasions, the pigmentation of the skin returns without treatment of any kind, and in some cases, the skin will turn completely white. Even with the return of the skin color, the person is still said to have vitiligo, but most cases come in between these two extremes, and is very often sucessfully treated.

Often, avoiding any kind of tanning situation can aid in camouflaging the disorder, but there are cases where the results aren’t satisfactory. At these times any number of treatments may be recommended depending on the severity, type, and patient preference. These treatments may include topological ointments and creams, ultraviolet light exposure, both UVA, AND UVB have been used successfully.

In some patients the vitiligo skin disorder may be so extensive that removing the remaining pigment is a more viable treatment option, and in other cases surgery to replace the affected area’s skin with skin that has healthy melanocytes. These are the cells responsible for producing melanin, the chemical that oxidizes and provides pigmentation.

No matter the cause or type of vitiligo skin disorder that a person may be afflicted with, it can be demoralizing, and lead to depression, stress, and complicate other medical conditions that may exist, and is a condition that can be improved on through therapy, and treatment quite successfully.

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