Skip areas of retained melanin in a flat depigmented epidermis is a clue to diagnosis of IGH and serves to differentiate that disease from vitiligo and lichen sclerosus.
The key difference is that hypopigmentation is associated with health conditions and injuries that may cause skin discoloration in spots or patches. In contrast, vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder that destroys melanocyte cells in your body that give your skin color, causing white patches to form.
Idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis is a common benign acquired disorder characterized by small, well-defined, round white macules on the sun-exposed areas of the legs and forearms. The patches are usually asymptomatic and can resemble vitiligo. Women are more commonly affected. Treatment is not necessary.
Pityriasis versicolor can sometimes be confused with vitiligo, as they both cause the skin to become discoloured in patches. But there are ways to tell the difference: vitiligo often develops symmetrically (on both sides of your body at the same time), while pityriasis versicolor may not.
Pityriasis alba can also be confused with vitiligo, an autoimmune disease where pigment is lost in some patches of skin. However, vitiligo has very distinct borders, which will help your healthcare provider to distinguish between the two. Vitiligo patches appear first on sun-exposed parts of the body.
Vitiligo often starts as a pale patch of skin that gradually turns completely white. The centre of a patch may be white, with paler skin around it. If there are blood vessels under the skin, the patch may be slightly pink, rather than white. The edges of the patch may be smooth or irregular.
If the spots are not truly white, but hypopigmented and not depigmented (they don't enhance by Wood's lamp), then they are NOT vitiligo and could be any number of different diseases and conditions.
Vitiligo usually starts with a few small white macules or patches that may gradually spread over your body.
Vitiligo can affect any part of the body's skin. The hair and the interior of the mouth can also be affected. Vitiligo normally starts as a few little white patches that gradually spread over the body over months.
Vitiligo can cause minor changes or extensive changes in the skin. In some people, it may be hardly noticeable, while in others it is obvious. In dark-skinned people the vitiligo patches are obvious since they contrast with normal skin.
Idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis is related to the lack of pigmentary protection from the sun and sun exposure rather than to age. Fair-skinned women develop this condition first; later, with increasing age and exposure to sun, both sexes seem to be equally affected.
Idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis does not spontaneously repigment. With age, lesions may slowly enlarge and increase in number.
What is idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis? It's characterized by small round or oval, “porcelain-white” spots that appear on sun-exposed areas of the skin, especially on the forearms and shins. They rarely develop on the face. The name is a good descriptor of the condition.
IGH is a benign condition with an excellent prognosis; however, once present, lesions do not remit without treatment. As such, they primarily represent a cosmetic concern. IGH may be an indication of cumulative sun exposure.
Surgical techniques, from cryosurgery to dermabrasion, have been tried for idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis, with some success. Theoretically, cryotherapy would remove the damaged melanocytes, which would encourage normal melanocytes to replace them.
A skin biopsy can definitively tell the difference between missing melanocytes, which indicates vitiligo, and melanocytes that are malfunctioning for another reason. Vitiligo is diagnosed only if these pigment-producing cells are missing.
What are vitiligo symptoms? Vitiligo symptoms showcase discoloration on the most exposed skin but its development is not always predictable. Most of the times, if it develops fully, it turns your entire body into pale white which is often addressed as Universal Vitiligo.
Say Hello to Sunshine: Expose the affected areas to early morning sunlight i.e. just as soon as the sun rises as it consists of ultraviolet A-rays (320-400nm) which stimulate pigment-forming cells (melanin).
The main symptom of vitiligo is loss of natural color or pigment, called depigmentation. The depigmented patches can appear anywhere on your body and can affect: Skin, which develops milky-white patches, often on the hands, feet, arms, and face. However, the patches can appear anywhere.
First-line vitiligo treatment includes moderate-to-high strength topical corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors, both of which dampen the cellular immune response (Table 1).
What causes vitiligo? Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease. This type of disease develops when your immune system attacks part of your own body. If you have vitiligo, your immune system attacks cells in your body called melanocytes.
And compared with vitiligo, IGH spots tend to be between 2 and 6 millimeters in diameter (though they can be up to 2.5 centimeters in diameter) and don't appear in clusters. Previous research also notes that IGH is far more common than vitiligo.
A skin biopsy, which means taking a small sample of your skin to be examined under a microscope. Doctors can examine the tissue for the missing melanocytes seen in the depigmented skin of a person with vitiligo.
Segmental vitiligo is unique, even beyond the fact that it doesn't cross the midline. It spreads very quickly, faster than the other forms, but only for about 6 months (sometimes up to a year).
The difference between Vitiligo and Leucoderma is related to only their onset. Vitiligo is self-generated while Leucoderma can occur after a cut, a burn or after allergy from some chemical may it be your deoderant, perfume or any other beauty product. Basically cause of Leucoderma can be said accidental.