I have vitiligo in patches over my body, not too many and they're concealable, but I'm worried they're getting worse....
I'm thinking of seeing a dermatologist or a homeopath or carry on pestering my doctor to refer me somewhere.
Anyone have any luck with treatments, or have any advice? Might be be best to speak to your doctor about the patches if you think they're getting worse.
My sister has Vitiligo, mainly on one of her arms. The patch has got larger but over a very long time (ie its not spreading too fast). She also suffers with a thyroid problem (the name escapes me) and apparently there is some link between the two. At her last appointment, her doctor asked if she'd like to be reccomended to the organisation that provide cosmetics for skn complaints but its not something that particularly bothers her.
He also advised that if the Vitiligo had of been noticed as a very young child they could have used special lamps to treat it but at her current age it was unlikely to work.
Best of luck,
Laura Treatment
There are a number of ways to alter the appearance of vitiligo without addressing its underlying cause. In mild cases, vitiligo patches can be hidden with makeup or other cosmetic camouflage solutions. If the affected person is pale-skinned, the patches can be made less visible by avoiding sunlight and the sun tanning of unaffected skin. However, exposure to sunlight may also cause the melanocytes to regenerate to allow the pigmentation to come back to its original color.
The traditional treatment given by most dermatologists is corticosteroid cream.[8]
Phototherapy may also beneficial using exposure to long-wave ultraviolet (UVA) light from the sun or from UVA lamps, together with Psoralen, called "PUVA", can help in many cases. Psoralen can be taken in a pill 1-2 hours before the exposure or as a Psoralen bath or soaking the area before the exposure. Lately, PUVA has been replaced with exposure to Narrowband UVB light at a wavelength of 311-313 nanometers. This treatment does not involve Psoralen since the effect of the lamp is strong enough. The source for the UVB Narrowband UVB light can be special fluorecent lamps that treat large area in few minutes, or high power fiber-optic devices in a fraction of a second.
Studies have also shown that immunomodulator creams such as Protopic and Elidel also cause repigmentation in some cases, when used with UVB Narrowband treatments.[9][10]
Alternatively, some people with vitiligo opt for chemical depigmentation, which uses 20% monobenzylether of hydroquinone. This process is irreversible and generally ends up with complete or mostly complete depigmentation.
In late October of 2004, doctors successfully transplanted melanocytes to vitiligo affected areas, effectively repigmenting the region. The procedure involved taking a thin layer of pigmented skin from the patient's gluteal region. Melanocytes were then separated out and used to make a cellular suspension. The area to be treated was then ablated with a medical laser, and the melanocyte graft applied. Three weeks later, the area was exposed to UV light repeatedly for two months. Between 73 and 84 percent of patients experienced nearly complete repigmentation of their skin. The longevity of the repigmentation differed from person to person.[11]
[edit] Support organizations
Support groups and organizations are available to help people learn more about vitiligo, understand treatment options, and find support from other people with vitiligo.
Vitiligo Support International is the largest vitiligo organization in the world. The nonprofit organization provides free access to online message boards, chat rooms, frequently asked questions, information and articles, as well as a patient-referred doctor search. The group advocates on behalf of patients, conducts patient conferences and has local support groups.
The American Vitiligo Research Foundation Inc. (AVRF) is a non-profit, tax-exempt charity that aims to increase public awareness about vitiligo and to help those affected by vitiligo, focusing specifically on children and their families. It supports finding a cure through alternatives to animal testing.
You might want to contact one of the support organizations too. my son had vitaligo has a baby. we took him to a specialist at the hospital reffered to by our doctor he was given a cream, but i cant remember the name. now at 10 yrs old it as though he had out grown it. still has a few patches on his hand but its not that bad. i use foundation to help cover it up, the other treatments *unless its very severe* are costly and not easy to get.. i think it takes long to cure that problem. but then dont lose hope, try to search the internent some remedies, or some medicated herbal medicine to help you in the solution of your problem. hai amelia,first of all u have to make sure that it is vitiligo and not white spots due to fungus on the skin coz by excessive sweating in the humid country.once u sort out the matter u are able to choose the treatment .
it is stressful but i ensure u with the right medication i am positive it can be treated though it takes time.done some search the latest in vitiligo treatment should be an ointment named Protopic u have to get it with a dermatologist prescription.
u can search the net for this cream called Derma X under a malaysian company called AG2000.the latest research in skin healing cosmestic that has no long term effect.steroid creams have effects within long term use.
get the support from ur loved ones.u need them the most.i hope u get a dermatologist which can listen and able to communicate well about the matter. i reccomend u to widen ur options n know about the treatment that can be used.pls ensure u are dianosed with exactly what n take it from there. |
