Vitiligo is a skin disease that is characterized by the loss of skin pigment causing white patches on the skin. It can affect any part of the body or it can appear on specific areas. Vitiligo is common for people of all races. Melanin is the pigment that is responsible for skin color and hair color. When the cells that produce melanin pigment slowly get reduced or die eventually there will not be any melanin production on the body. It causes white patches on the skin indicating depigmentation. This condition runs in families and is believed to be due to autoimmune disorder. Vitiligo has no cure.
Symptoms :
Major symptoms of vitiligo are the loss of pigment melanin in the body causing milky white patches on the skin. Either it will occur on many parts of the body or centered on specific areas like hands and arms. The hair on the scalp will become grey or white irrespective of your age. It will also affect your eyelashes and eyebrow color causing white patches. For men effect of vitiligo can be seen in white beard and grayish white scalp. For some people, the color of the retina (inner layer of the eye) may change into white.
- The symptoms of vitiligo first develop on hands and feet and other areas that are exposed to sun. It can spread to lips and even genitals.
- This skin disease often occurs on middle aged people but it can occur for children also.
- Basically there are 3 different pattern in which vitiligo appears on the skin.
- First one is the generalized form which affects skin of many areas causing white patches in symmetric fashion.
- Second one is segmental type which affects one side of the body. Often this type of vitiligo is seen in young ages.
- Third one is focal form in which the loss of original skin color is confined to specific areas of the body.
- For some people loss of pigment occurs only for certain period and stops gradually. For others it will spread to other body parts involving most of the skin surface of your body.
Causes :