Vitiligo is nothing but loss of skin melanin, that is skin color pigment. Due
to the internal immunological process, skin may lose color anywhere including
any part of the face.
For cosmetic and social reasons, patients with vitiligo always have a concern of spreading vitiligo on the face, the most visible area, as it can affect the self-esteem of the person.
Medically speaking, a random, single spot of vitiligo on one side of the face is not very difficult to treat, unless it affects lips or corner of the lip or the corner of the eyes; what is typically called as muco-cutaneous junctions; which makes the treatment difficult.
If one has vitiligo around both the eyes, again, that brings one in the ‘difficult to treat’ category, as ‘bilaterally symmetrical vitiligo’ is more difficult to show results.
In our experience at Life Force, over seven thousand cases, for one to develop symmetrical patches, there must be a strong genetic factor. That is, someone in the family must have suffered with one of the auto-immune diseases such as vitiligo, under-active thyroid, alopecia, diabetes or cancer. Many times, the patient may not be aware of such family history.
Medical Therapies
Anumber of medical therapies, most of which are applied topically, can reducethe appearance of vitiligo. These are some of the most commonly used:
Topical therapy
Creams, including corticosteroids, maybe helpful in repigmenting (returning the color to) white patches, particularlyif they are applied in the initial stages of the disease. Corticosteroids are agroup of drugs similar to hormones such as cortisone, which are produced by theadrenal glands. Yet, as with any medication, these creams can cause sideeffects. For this reason, the doctor will monitor you closely for skinshrinkage and skin striae (streaks or lines on the skin).
Light treatment.Light therapy or excimer lasertreatments are also used to treat vitiligo, although results may not bepermanent.
Psoralen photochemotherapy
Also known as psoralen and ultraviolet A(PUVA) therapy, this is an effective treatment for many patients. The goal ofPUVA therapy is to repigment the white patches. However, it is time consuming,and care must be taken to avoid side effects, which can sometimes be severe.Psoralen is a drug that contains chemicals that react with ultraviolet light tocause darkening of the skin. The treatment involves taking psoralen by mouth(orally) or applying it to the skin (topically). This is followed by carefullytimed exposure to sunlight or to ultraviolet A (UVA) light that comes from aspecial lamp. You must minimize exposure to sunlight at other times.
Knownside effects of oral psoralen include sunburn, nausea and vomiting, itching,abnormal hair growth, and hyperpigmentation. Oral psoralen photochemotherapymay also increase the risk of skin cancer, although the risk is minimal atdoses used for vitiligo. If you are undergoing oral PUVA therapy, you will beadvised to apply sunscreen, avoid direct sunlight, and wear protective UVAsunglasses for a period of time after each treatment.
How to Cure Vitiligo With SOD 6+1
For cosmetic and social reasons, patients with vitiligo always have a concern of spreading vitiligo on the face, the most visible area, as it can affect the self-esteem of the person.
Medically speaking, a random, single spot of vitiligo on one side of the face is not very difficult to treat, unless it affects lips or corner of the lip or the corner of the eyes; what is typically called as muco-cutaneous junctions; which makes the treatment difficult.
If one has vitiligo around both the eyes, again, that brings one in the ‘difficult to treat’ category, as ‘bilaterally symmetrical vitiligo’ is more difficult to show results.
In our experience at Life Force, over seven thousand cases, for one to develop symmetrical patches, there must be a strong genetic factor. That is, someone in the family must have suffered with one of the auto-immune diseases such as vitiligo, under-active thyroid, alopecia, diabetes or cancer. Many times, the patient may not be aware of such family history.
Medical Therapies
Anumber of medical therapies, most of which are applied topically, can reducethe appearance of vitiligo. These are some of the most commonly used:
Topical therapy
Creams, including corticosteroids, maybe helpful in repigmenting (returning the color to) white patches, particularlyif they are applied in the initial stages of the disease. Corticosteroids are agroup of drugs similar to hormones such as cortisone, which are produced by theadrenal glands. Yet, as with any medication, these creams can cause sideeffects. For this reason, the doctor will monitor you closely for skinshrinkage and skin striae (streaks or lines on the skin).
Light treatment.Light therapy or excimer lasertreatments are also used to treat vitiligo, although results may not bepermanent.
Psoralen photochemotherapy
Also known as psoralen and ultraviolet A(PUVA) therapy, this is an effective treatment for many patients. The goal ofPUVA therapy is to repigment the white patches. However, it is time consuming,and care must be taken to avoid side effects, which can sometimes be severe.Psoralen is a drug that contains chemicals that react with ultraviolet light tocause darkening of the skin. The treatment involves taking psoralen by mouth(orally) or applying it to the skin (topically). This is followed by carefullytimed exposure to sunlight or to ultraviolet A (UVA) light that comes from aspecial lamp. You must minimize exposure to sunlight at other times.
Knownside effects of oral psoralen include sunburn, nausea and vomiting, itching,abnormal hair growth, and hyperpigmentation. Oral psoralen photochemotherapymay also increase the risk of skin cancer, although the risk is minimal atdoses used for vitiligo. If you are undergoing oral PUVA therapy, you will beadvised to apply sunscreen, avoid direct sunlight, and wear protective UVAsunglasses for a period of time after each treatment.
How to Cure Vitiligo With SOD 6+1
