Imagine that you are a talented super star with more money than you could ever spend. Suddenly, you notice chalky white skin patches slowly spreading on your young creamy dark skin. You wonder, "How could this happen to me?" That's exactly what happened to Michael Jackson, when he learned that he had developed vitiligo skin disorder just like his uncles on his father's side of the family. Like the two million other sufferers here in the USA, he first had to get an accurate diagnosis and learn all he could about vitiligo.
HOW DOES VITILIGO DEVELOP?
Scientists are still searching for what causes the progressive killing of certain melanocytes (cells responsible for the color of skin) in some individuals. Vitiligo is believed to be a result of both inherited genes and an environment that causes a certain risk for this disease. Studies found that 20% of the families of vitiligo patients also develop vitiligo. People inherited a "special gene," which makes you susceptible to this life changing disease. Severe skin injuries, or extreme sunburn, appear to influence whether or not an individual with those "special genes" will develop vitiligo during their lifetimes. Scientists believe that stress can also be a factor, which influences the likelihood that certain individuals will develop this disease. Vitiligo can start anywhere on the body, and it is a progressive disease. An interesting fact is that the blotches usuall form in symetrical patterns with a line of symmetry. (remember your math class)
WHERE TO GO FOR A DIAGNOSIS
Dermatologists can usually make a diagnosis by an examination of the symmetrically patterned patches, but often do biopsies and blood tests to rule out other conditions. They then will start you on a treatment or a series of treatments to slow the spread of the disease.
VITILIGO TREATMENT
There is no vitiligo cure. There are, however, some effective treatments on the market to help stop the spread of depigmentation. Surprisingly, there are some treatments that can even trigger repigmentation. Some people use cosmetics to cover up the blotches, but some additional treatments include:
Corticosteroids, psoralen, methoxsalen topical repigmentation ointment
PUVA therapy (photo chemotherapy)
Oral medicine (trimethylpsoralen)
Skin grafting and tattooing
Immune suppressants (pimecrolimus, tacrolimus)
UVB band therapy (ultraviolet light)
Skin bleaching
DIET/NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
When tested in a recent study, Folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin C were extremely low in most people with vitiligo. However, injections of these important vitamins produced a substantial repigmentation is these patients over several months. In general, a healthy diet with increased amounts of fruits and vegetables along with adequate rest and exercise will improve your overall condition. Regular exercise reduces stress, which in turn reduces the spread of vitiligo.
Fortunately, vitiligo doesn't cause physical pain. However, the extreme change in appearance can cause emotional pain as you try to adjust to your new looks. Heavy application of make-up can't hide the effects of this disease. Even your social life can be affected. You might notice that you are not receiving as many invitations as you did before you developed the disease. Especially during the teen years, when teasing is abundant, it is important to belong to a vitiligo support group that allows you to express your feelings and develop friendships with others who are suffering with this disease. The National Vitiligo Foundation can refer you to local chapters that have support groups for patients and their families. www.nvfi.org or www.vitiligosupport.org It is best not to suffer alone. Knowing others with the same condition will help you cope.
The range of symptoms for this disease can be as simple as a couple of blotches to blotches covering the entire body. The treatments can range anywhere from topical creams to skin grafting and tattooing. There are many diet and nutritional supplements that can help as well. Your course of action depends mostly on how vitiligo affects your ldaily ife.
http://www.aad.org
http://www.uvbioteck.com
http://www.recouleur.com/studies-vitamins-vitiligo.a sp
www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-463 2.2006.02848.x
http://www.avvf.org/news/progress.htm
www.youtube.com /watch?v=rUD47kRy1-w
http://floacist.wordpress.com/2007/06/12/full-inform ation-on-vitiligo-michael-jackson/