Leukoderma / Vitiligo Treatment

Vitiligo

Vitiligo causes your skin to lose color or pigmentation. Smooth white or light areas called macules or patches appear on your skin. It generally starts on your hands, forearms, feet and face. Globally, about 1% of the population has vitiligo. Treatment isn’t necessary, but it’s available if you don’t like the changes to your skin tone.

What is vitiligo?

Vitiligo (pronounced “vit-il-EYE-go”) is a skin condition that causes your skin to lose its color or pigment. This 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 if 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.

Does vitiligo cause complications?

Although vitiligo is mainly a cosmetic condition, vitiligo may cause:

- Sensitive skin: Macules and patches lack melanocytes, so your skin can be more sensitive to sunlight than the rest of your skin. This can cause your skin to quickly burn instead of tanning.

- Eye abnormalities: People with vitiligo may have some abnormalities in their retinas (the inner layer of your eye that contains light-sensitive cells) and some variation of color in their irises (the colored part of your eye). In some cases, there’s inflammation of the retina or iris, but vision usually isn’t affected.

- Predisposition to autoimmune conditions: People with vitiligo may be more likely to get other autoimmune conditions that affect how their body’s immune system functions. Common autoimmune conditions include hypothyroidism, diabetes and anemia.

- Emotional challenges: People with vitiligo may feel embarrassed about the way their skin looks. Some people diagnosed with vitiligo develop low self-esteem. This could cause anxiety or depression and make someone want to isolate themselves or avoid social situations. If this happens, you should talk to your healthcare provider, a mental health professional or your family and friends.