What is Vitiligo: What are the white spots

What is Vitiligo: What are the white spots
Causes
Treatment
Surgery
General information
Means of treatment

What is vitiligo Vitiligo - a condition in which the skin formed white spots. Bright spots may appear on any part of the body. Many people have vitiligo on different areas of the skin. Vitiligo often seen on the visible areas of the skin such as the palms, hands, feet, face. These spots may also appear on the mucous membranes (tissues of the inner surface of the mouth and nose) and the retina (inner layer of the eyeball), and in the genital area. The hair that grows on the spots of vitiligo sometimes become white.

This is one of the main causes depigmentation (bleaching) of the skin. Vitiligo affects people of all races, but that it occurs more often in people with dark skin or dark. Hundreds of thousands of people suffer from this disease, and 40% of patients one of the parents also suffer from this condition. Vitiligo can be expected to be inherited, but it is not a contagious disease.

Causes

Normal skin contains melanin, a brown pigment produced by cells that color the skin (called melanocytes). When viewed under a microscope, the skin of people suffering from vitiligo, we see the lack of melanocytes and inflammation of the deepest layer of the skin.

The exact cause of vitiligo is unknown. But there are a number of factors that experts suggest as possible causes that provoke this condition.

Among them:

autoimmune disorders: patient's immune system becomes overactive and destroys melanocytes;
genetic oxidative stress;
stressful situations;
skin damage due to sun or wounds;
exposure to certain chemicals;
Neural reasons;
viral causes.

Symptoms

Vitiligo occurs with equal frequency in men and women. It can occur at any age, but 50% of cases the first symptoms appear before twenty years. These symptoms affect both the appearance and the psychological state of the patient.

Appearance

In childhood vitiligo is often expressed as a halo of depigmentation of the skin around the mole Moles:: tags fate or bombs? . Thus, there is a mole (which will probably disappear later), surrounded by a lighter skin color is different from normal skin.

The first signs of discoloration observed in areas where the skin is exposed to sunlight: a person (generally by mouth, eyes, etc.) and hands.

Depigmentation of the skin appears asymmetrical spots with jagged edges. Areas with a partial loss of pigment alternate with zones of complete lack of melanin Which foods contain melanin - skin care .

Although vitiligo usually affect both halves equally body, sometimes it may occur at some segment of the body, so called segmental vitiligo. Some people may have syndrome Koebner when skin lesions of vitiligo appear in zones have been subjected to trauma (for example, the scratch). In this case, vitiligo can peel off, as in the case of surgical sutures, eczema or psoriasis. These phenomena are also observed in psoriasis, warts and other skin lesions.

In areas affected by vitiligo, the hairs can be pigmented or clarified (leykotrihiya).

The manifestations on the skin

Vitiligo is characterized by a loss of melanin. Melanin - the pigment in skin that gives it a certain color. The loss of melanin occurs because of abnormalities in the cells of the skin melanocytes, which produce melanin. Melanin - a natural defense the body from the harmful effects of sunlight. Vitiligo is more than noticeable on darker skin than light.

In most cases, vitiligo appears early in life and from ten to thirty years. Vitiligo affects both men and women. The appearance of vitiligo can be caused genetically. If the family had relatives with vitiligo, while the man himself appeared early gray hair, increased the risk of vitiligo. Thirty percent of people with vitiligo have cases of disease vitiligo family history. At the same time, only five to seven per cent of children receive from their parents vitiligo.

Symptoms of vitiligo include the rapid loss of pigment in a few places on the skin. After manifested as white spots, they can for some time to remain unchanged. Ninety-five percent of cases of vitiligo varies by forty years.

The cause of Vitiligo is still unknown, but doctors and researchers have several different theories. Scientific evidence shows that people with vitiligo inherit a group of three genes that make them susceptible to depigmentation.

The most widely accepted view of the cause of vitiligo - vitiligo is an autoimmune disease.

This is a disease in which the immune system reacts against the body's own organs or tissues. The body produces proteins cytokines. With vitiligo, these proteins are able to disrupt the functioning of melanocytes cells that produce melanin. Another theory explaining vitiligo is that melanocytes destroy themselves.

By the end of the connection is not clear autoimmune diseases and vitiligo. But according to statistics people with certain diseases more likely to have vitiligo. Such diseases include hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland), adrenocortical insufficiency (the adrenal glands do not produce enough of the hormone called corticosteroid), alopecia areata (hair loss), and anemia (low red blood cells, which yields a B12 deficiency). Scientists do not know the reasons for the relationship between vitiligo and these autoimmune diseases. However, most people with vitiligo have other autoimmune diseases.

Finally, some people have reported that such an event, such as sunburn or emotional stress provokes the appearance of vitiligo, but such cases do not have sufficient scientific basis.

Although vitiligo does not cause physical pain, and is not a serious disease, people with vitiligo often suffer emotional and psychological terms. In India, women with vitiligo have virtually no chance to marry. If Vitiligo occurs after marriage - can become the official cause of the divorce of the spouses.

Psychological effects

They vary from one patient to another, depending on the type of injury and the emotional state of a person. For these people, vitiligo may have serious psychological consequences. They can vary from slight loss of confidence to the strong attacks of rage from the inability to cope with the disease. These reactions are most common in people who have vitiligo on visible areas of the body.

Can Vitiligo is a sign of a serious disease?

Malignant melanoma (a serious type of skin cancer) and Vitiligo can develop at the same time, however, the majority of patients with vitiligo are not affected by this type of cancer.

People with vitiligo have a predisposition to the development of immune system diseases such as Addison's disease, thyroid disease Thyroid disease - when to start worrying? , Diabetes, alopecia (hair loss).

Most of these diseases can be diagnosed by a blood test or during a routine medical examination.

Is there a cure?

Vitiligo treatment lends itself to a certain extent. Spots on the skin can be made to reduce and even almost disappear. This should be remembered in the case of vitiligo. The earlier treatment is started, so it will be easier and more efficient.

At the time of treatment to the patient, it is important to receive encouragement. Your doctor, friends and family to help in case of vitiligo appear psychological problems.

Psychological support is available and communicating with people who also have vitiligo. The Internet is easy to find such communities and centers of people with vitiligo. Some people successfully camouflage vitiligo using the cosmetics. It helps to feel more confident and feel free to bright spots on the skin.

Forecast

Vitiligo usually progresses slowly. Although spontaneous recovery is very rare, partial remission is possible within a few months after exposure to the sun. Treatment of vitiligo often fails. Some products may only be a cosmetic solution for patients with vitiligo.