People with a family history of vitiligo are more likely to have the condition. Symptoms of vitiligo include the appearance of irregular white patches, or various degrees of depigmentation on the body. People often notice the loss of pigment on the following areas first:.
In addition to giving skin its colour, melanin also protects the skin from the sun. Lack of pigmentation in the skin leads to a greater risk of sun sensitivity in affected areas. Vitiligo increases the chance of sunburn and the development of skin cancer in people with the condition. To determine the presence of vitiligo, your doctor will need to perform a physical examination.
He or she may also ask about your general health and family history of vitiligo to see if there is a genetic link. Other factors leading to the onset of vitiligo often include a rash, sunburn, or trauma e. To get a better idea of which skin areas have been affected, your doctor will shine a Wood's lamp on the affected skin in a dark room. Ultraviolet UV light from the Wood's lamp causes the skin to appear different colours depending on the underlying condition of the skin.
With vitiligo, there is no colour and so the skin appears very white, with no pigment. The Wood's lamp allows doctors to see areas affected by vitiligo that may appear normal under regular light. To test for conditions or diseases associated with vitiligo, your doctor may take a blood sample to check:.
The doctor may need to do a biopsy of the affected areas and look at the cells under a microscope. In some cases, an examination of the eyes may be necessary. Various types of treatment are available for vitiligo, although in many cases treatment is difficult.
People with fair skin may need to avoid the sun to prevent tanning. This lamp is especially useful for people with fairer skin where the difference in color is subtler.
Some dermatologists will want to do more testing beyond a skin exam. Your doctor may order a skin biopsy , which will show whether melanocytes are present in the skin. A lack of melanocytes is an indication of vitiligo.
He or she may also ask for a blood test to see if you have another autoimmune disease. Your doctor may also perform an eye exam for uveitis, a form of eye inflammation that can be associated with vitiligo. Your doctor will also rule out other skin conditions that can look similar to vitiligo, such as skin damage from exposure to industrial chemicals called chemical leukoderma; tinea versicolor , a yeast infection that can lighten or darken areas of skin; and albinism, a genetic condition marked by low levels of melanin in skin, hair, and eyes, notes the Cleveland Clinic.
While this skin condition cannot be cured, treatments can slow or stop its spread, spur some regrowth of melanocytes, and improve the appearance of patchy skin by returning some color to white areas.
And cognitive behavioral therapy can help you overcome the depression and social anxiety that this skin condition so often causes.
Once vitiligo develops, it is usually a life-long condition. Nondrug and nonsurgical therapies include: 12, Some of these treatment options come with negative side effects, such as scarring, dry and itchy skin, and skin with a streaky appearance.
There have also been a few research studies on alternative medicine options, such as treating the area with certain herbs and vitamins. In general, people who have been diagnosed with vitiligo do not need to be overly worried about developing serious complications. People with vitiligo — like the rest of the population — are encouraged to wear sunscreen specifically a broad-spectrum, water-resistant option with an SPF of 30 or higher.
Since the skin in the vitiligo-affected areas can burn more easily, it may be surprising to learn that instead of increasing skin cancer risk , vitiligo is associated with lower risk. A University of Amsterdam study published in the British Journal of Dermatology found a threefold lower risk for melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers in people with vitiligo compared with those without it. There are a few theories for why this might happen.
Rodrigues says. About one-quarter of patients with vitiligo have another autoimmune disease. If you have vitiligo, you may be at risk for an autoimmune disorder. Here are some of the most common autoimmune diseases associated with vitiligo :.
The other concern when it comes to vitiligo complications is the emotional toll of living with a very visible skin condition, especially one that can begin early in life. It can be especially difficult for people with darker skin, Dr.
Skotnicki says, because the differences in skin tone are more obvious. For people with light skin, the presence of vitiligo may be less noticeable, Skotnicki says. For many, learning to deal with vitiligo means finding someone to talk to about the experience, whether that's a trusted doctor, close family members and friends, or a mental health professional, noted an article published in the Indian Journal of Dermatology.
Vitiligo affects about 50 million people around the world, striking males and females and people of different races equally, according to an article published in June in the journal Nature.
The disorder often begins early in life, with 25 percent of cases occurring in children younger than 10 years old, one-half happening in kids and teens younger than age 20 and up to 80 percent striking before age Promising research is underway examining the genetic roots of vitiligo and testing compounds and treatments that may interrupt the autoimmune response, inflammation and the destruction of melanocytes.
Areas of current vitiligo research include: In addition to the investigation of these novel treatments, much of the latest vitiligo research has focused on gaining a better understanding of the genes involved with how the condition starts in the first place. By doing so, researchers hope to get closer to developing a treatment that prevents vitiligo from occurring or spreading. And, since something in the environment is responsible for triggering vitiligo as people are not born with the condition , researchers have also focused on understanding what those triggers are and why they incite such a response within the cells.
While some people with vitiligo seek treatment to cover up or repigment their skin, others choose to embrace the condition however it shows up. Ash Soto falls into that camp. The twentysomething from Orlando, Florida, documents her experience with vitiligo on her Instagram page , which is , followers strong.
Soto was diagnosed with vitiligo at the age of 12 after she saw a white spot on her neck and then noticed another one appear within a few months. Soto admits she was teased at school for the way her skin looked and says her vitiligo hurt her self-esteem and made her feel insecure.
By her late teens, however, she had decided to embrace her skin and use it as a canvas for art, which she shares photos of on Instagram. Her photos are accompanied by inspirational captions that promote a love-yourself mentality. The body positive movement is all about self-acceptance, so it has been a natural fit for people who want to embrace their vitiligo, noted an article published in in the journal Feminist Media Studies.
He explains that lower self-esteem is a common yet unfortunate side effect of vitiligo. Then click on the treatments tab to review the options available to you. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references AskMayoExpert. Mayo Clinic; Grimes PE. Vitiligo: Management and prognosis. Accessed Dec. Vitiligo: Pathogenesis, clinical features, and diagnosis. Lebwohl MG, et al. Elsevier; Felsten LM, et al.
Vitiligo: A comprehensive overview. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Whitton ME, et al. Interventions for vitiligo review. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Bae JM, et al. In addition, the melanocytes of people with vitiligo may be more susceptible to stress than those of the general population and therefore may be more likely to be attacked by the immune system.
The condition probably results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors, most of which have not been identified. Vitiligo sometimes runs in families, but the inheritance pattern is complex since multiple causative factors are involved. About one-fifth of people with this condition have at least one close relative who is also affected. Genetics Home Reference has merged with MedlinePlus. Learn more. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice.
Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health. From Genetics Home Reference. Description Vitiligo is a condition that causes patchy loss of skin coloring pigmentation. Frequency Vitiligo is a common disorder, affecting between 0. Causes Variations in over 30 genes, occurring in different combinations, have been associated with an increased risk of developing vitiligo.
Inheritance Vitiligo sometimes runs in families, but the inheritance pattern is complex since multiple causative factors are involved. Research Studies from ClinicalTrials. Frontiers and controversies in the pathobiology of vitiligo: separating the wheat from the chaff. Exp Dermatol. Epub Mar 6.
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