Symptoms of Vitiligo Skin, which develops milky-white patches, often on the hands, feet, arms, and face. However, the patches can appear anywhere. Hair, which can turn white in areas where the skin is losing pigment. This can happen on the scalp, eyebrow, eyelash, beard, and body hair.
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.
People of all races and skin colors can get vitiligo, and the disease occurs about equally in people of all races. About half the people who develop vitiligo get it before they turn 20 years of age.
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 signs include: Patchy loss of skin color, which usually first appears on the hands, face, and areas around body openings and the genitals. Premature whitening or graying of the hair on your scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows or beard.
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.
Symptoms can be mild and only affect a small area of your body or severe and affect a large area of your skin. Some people with vitiligo experience itchy skin before depigmentation starts.
Vitiligo usually begins with a few small lighter patches that develop on the skin. These patches may stay the same size for years or grow larger. New patches can appear on the skin. The new patches may be close to existing patches or far from them.
Overview of Vitiligo
This happens when melanocytes – skin cells that make pigment – are attacked and destroyed, causing the skin to turn a milky-white color. In vitiligo, the white patches usually appear symmetrically on both sides of your body, such as on both hands or both knees.
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.
Because vitiligo spots have no melanin, they can't tan. If the skin isn't protected with sunscreen, vitiligo patches may burn or scar. Getting a tan on the rest of your body will only highlight the white patches, especially if you have light skin.
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).
There are some differences between the two conditions. The spots caused by vitiligo are smooth, while tinea versicolor spots can have a scaly texture. Vitiligo also tends to affect different areas from tinea versicolor. It's likely to appear on your face, eyes, mouth, fingers and hands.
The primary difference between the two is that vitiligo is an autoimmune disease that causes white patches on the skin, while albinism is a genetic disorder that causes the skin to appear very light all over the body, except in the case of partial albinism.
Protect your skin from the sun.
A bad sunburn can worsen vitiligo. If you have a lighter skin tone, there's another advantage to protecting your skin from the sun. Without a tan, the lighter spots and patches are often less noticeable.
Chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10 are the predominant chemokines involved in vitiliginous T-cell migration,6 whereas CXCL10 is a potential biomarker that can demarcate between stable and active vitiligo.
Among the vitiligo patients, approximately 27 percent had blue/gray eyes, 43 percent had tan or brown eyes and 30 percent had green or hazel eyes, which is significantly different from the normal distribution of eye color where approximately 52 percent of Americans of Non-Hispanic European ancestry have blue/gray eyes, ...
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.
Pre-vitiligo patches appear as pale yellow patches before they turn into white vitiligo patches. It is beneficial if one notices them and treats this problem at an early stage and not let it convert to vitiligo. Mostly they start affecting the areas like face, knees, elbows, back of the hand, etc.
Vitiligo has been mentioned in the tomes of every major religion, with its first description dating back more than 3000 years, to the earliest Vedic and Egyptian texts.
Localized: Skin patches are found on limited areas of the body. Generalized: Skin patches are scattered around the body. Mucosal : Vitiligo affects the mucous membranes found in the mouth and/or genitals. Focal: Skin patches remain in a small area of the body without spreading in the first two years.
Treatment cannot cure vitiligo.
While researchers are looking for a cure, treatment cannot currently cure this disease. Treatment can help restore lost skin color, but the color (repigmentation) may fade over time. To keep their results, many patients have maintenance treatments.
What Are The Early Signs Of Vitiligo On Lips? In most cases, vitiligo on lips starts with small patches of discolored skin. Though these white patches can appear anywhere on your lips, it usually occurs on the lateral lower lip.
There are no at-home tests available to diagnose vitiligo. However, you can do a general self-check of your skin and look for patchy or widespread loss of pigmentation (the coloring of your skin, hair, and eyes).