Vitiligo occurs when the skin fails to produce enough melanin losing skin color. It affects people of all age, gender or ethnicity.
The surface area of the skin that gets affected varies between individual, to most individuals it begins with few patches and due to lack of vitiligo treatment, the patches keep on spreading through the skin.
Vitiligo also affects the lips and hair as well.
Cause
Vitiligo causes whitish patches on the skin which occur when the melanocytes die which are responsible for melanin ( skin pigment) production which provides the skin its color and gives it protection from the Sun UV rays.
The exact cause remains unknown but studies show that it is an autoimmune disorder. It is also hereditary, people with a known family history of vitiligo are likely to be affected.
Exposure to some drugs may trigger the chance of getting vitiligo.
For the record, it is vital to note that vitiligo is not caused by burn and neither is it infectious. Giving emotional support to people living with vitiligo is very important.
Treatment
Our dermatologist takes a 360° approach when it comes it vitiligo treatment. A thorough medical history is taken to ensure that the accurate medication is given. Mostly oral and topical medication is prescribed with a combination of laser treatment with boosts melanin restoration.
