Vitiligo is the appearance of white spots on the body due to an abnormality of the immune system. Number of white spots starts appearing on the skin. This is known as depigmentation, or loss of pigment from the skin. It is thought to be connected to other auto immune diseases the patient might have. The immune system starts attacking the body unknowingly, when a patient suffers this skin disease. Both the cause and cure of Vitiligo remain unknown. There is no procedure known till now that can cure or stop the process of Vitiligo.
But there are some treatments that can be tried to see which works best. Since it’s a skin disease, symptoms and reactions vary significantly from each patient. The main goal of the treatment is to improve general appearance of the skin and remove or at least hide the white patches.
The choice of therapy depends on the number of white patches, location, size, and how widespread they are. Each patient responds differently to therapy, and a particular, generalized treatment may not work for everyone.
Topical steroid creams can be used to treat the white patches, to help bring the pigment back. These creams can be most useful if applied at the initial stages of the disease. These creams need to be applied for at least 3 months before results can be seen. Corticosteroid creams are the simplest and safest treatment for Vitiligo. Side effects can also occur while using this treatment, but these occur only where the skin is thin, such as on the face and armpits, or in the genital area. They can be minimized by using weaker formulations of steroid creams in these areas.
Depigmentation is also used. In this process, the skin around the patch is also lightened up, to match it. Although this seems to be a little extreme, for people who have Vitiligo on more than 50 percent of their bodies, depigmentation may be the best treatment option. Depigmentation tends to be permanent and is not easily reversed. Also a person who undergoes depigmentation will always be unusually sensitive to sunlight.
There are also some natural therapies that can be used such as eating celery. Celery contains psoralen and that has been known to increase the skin’s natural reaction to sunlight. Ayurveda can also be used to treat Vitiligo. Ayurveda is an Indian form of medicine that combines herbal/natural remedies. Organic herbs are used and sometimes even leeches are applied to the affected areas. Ayurvedic is a different approach to medicine, but some health care professionals highly recommend it
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