Skin Health Care

Posts Tagged ‘Treatment Of Vitiligo’

Vitiligo is a skin disease that destroys the melanocytes, these are the pigment cells that will give a tone to our skin (which causes white patches in different parts of the body). The definitive cure for vitiligo is not known yet, but there are some traeatments that can help.

The causes of vitiligo are largely hereditary, but research continues to explore other factors that may cause the development of the disease.

Due to the nature and origins of the vitiligo disease treatments that exist today are addressed in terms of development time of illness, severity of symptoms and type of treatment the patient wants to continue.

We can divide the treatments for vitiligo in 3 major fields.

Medical treatments
- Creams: are ointments to be applied directly to the skin, which usually contains steroids to strengthen the pigment .- Drugs: These are taken orally as tablets or capsules (as directed by your doctor.)
- PUVA: this is a therapy that involves taking combination drug therapy with application of ultraviolet (UVA).

Surgical treatments:
- Skin grafts: tissue is removed surgically from healthy areas of the patient to be transplanted to the sectors concerned (when the disease is not very widespread).
- Tattoos: this technique will be used to cover areas where the skin pigment is gone, usually in very mild disease.

Other treatments:
- Using Filters and sunscreens to avoid suffering which changes color and are more noticeable stains.
- Cosmetics: here come all those non-invasive procedures and are not permanent and makeup.

There is currently no treatment that can provide a safe cure for vitiligo, but if you can offer the patient a better quality of life. Are still investigating the causes, symptoms, reactions and solutions for definitive treatment.

The cause of doctor’s visit is mainly to improve aesthetics. However, sometimes the best treatment is not any treatment.

General: Your doctor will explain about its condition and what to expect from the proposed treatment. The white areas affected by vitiligo have no natural protection against the sun and they can very easily be burned by sunlight, so it is recommended to use sunscreen with a protection factor of at least 15 in all areas affected discovered.

Topical treatment. To the affected skin based drugs (natural or synthetic psoralens) is the most effective. Also the use of cosmetic creams, artificial can be a relief to patient dissatisfaction with their spots.

Systemic treatment. Psoralens also be used orally in cases of extensive vitiligo, but please keep in mind that its action is not limited only to skin pigment but also affect normal skin.

There have tried other vitiligo treatments such as corticosteroids, drugs to regulate the immune response and application of autografts tattoos with very inconsistent. Psychotherapy, even if superficial, is of great help.

Sometimes the doctor can also support the use of medications to reduce distress and anxiety that the patient feels about his condition.