Vitiligo or Leucoderma is a skin condition where the skin starts losing melanin cells in various areas in the body. The reason behind the white spots are yet unknown and thus no absolute or permanent treatment for white patches has been found. The treatment doctors prescribe are mostly cosmetic ones to hide the patches or surgical ones to stop the widespread.
People often confuse leprosy with vitiligo which is irrelevant by all means. In Vitiligo, the melanins cells under the skin start dying. It’s an autoimmune condition where the immune cells start destroying healthy cells for unknown reason. So at various spots, the melanin dies and white patches start appearing and growing. The condition is not painful or vital, but patients go through mental trauma due to society’s outlook towards this disease.
Vitiligo treatment involves various cosmetic procedure and surgical procedure too depending on the patient’s condition. Although it’s not a fatal disease, yet it causes mental stress. The condition has also found to be in hereditary and runs within the same bloodline. The condition may trigger other diseases like diabetes mellitus, pernicious anaemia, hyperthyroidism, and Addison’s disease
Symptoms of Vitiligo
The major symptom of vitiligo is the appearance of white spots in patchy circles around the body. First patches mostly appear in the face or neck or hands or feet. Sizes differ in different areas and can vary from pib-small size to bigger patches. Scaling also occurs in the skin but not very evident. In most of the cases, scaling occurs due to scraping or itching the affected area. While under sunlight, the affected area may itch or get rashes.
Diagnosis and Treatment for White Patches (Vitiligo)
To confirm vitiligo and prescribe Treatment For White Patches, doctors may carry various tests. These tests might include:
- Biopsy of the affected skin by taking small skin sample for examination
- Blood tests
- Eye exam.
Medical treatment for white patches include:
- Corticosteroid creams to apply on the affected area.
- Oral medications to control widespread or itchiness.
- (UVA) light (PUVA) treatment to hide the spots.
- Discolouration of other areas to match the white patches. In the case of 80% or more spread, doctors prescribe this as the best vitiligo treatment in Delhi.
Surgical treatments include:
- Doctors also prescribe surgical treatment such as Skin grafting. In this procedure, the discoloured skin is replaced with perosn’s normal skin. Basically, the doctors take healthy skin and attach it to the depigmented places. This surgery is done for people whose white patch spreading has been stopped for 2-3 years.
- People also go for tattooing if the condition is spread over small areas of skin.
Other treatment for white patches include:
- Application of prescribed sunscreens with higher SPF
- Cosmetics, such as makeup or dye or foundation to cover the white patches
- Counselling and support are given to strengthen the patient’s mind.
