Vitiligo is a disease affecting the skin and having a chronic course. It is expressed in the appearance of skin areas devoid of pigment. The mechanism of the lesion is as follows: the function of melanocytes gradually or immediately fails to work, so the skin becomes colorless.
Content of the article:
Diagnosis of vitiligo
Causes of vitiligo development
Symptoms of vitiligo
Treatment of vitiligo
Vitiligo
Vitiligo can affect hair, the retina of the eye, the meninges, but this manifestation of the disease is extremely rare. Vitiligo itself is a dyschromia class disease that occurs only in 3% of the world’s population.
Vitiligo manifests itself mainly in young people aged 20-25 years. At a later age, the presence of the disease is detected less often.
Diagnosis of vitiligo does not cause any particular difficulties, since the disease has characteristic manifestations. But the treatment of this disease is not easy to carry out. The combination of different therapies, methods, the appointment of additional precautions does not always give results and tangible progress. But you can stop the disease, stop the peripheral growth of spots, protect the affected skin from sunburn.
Diagnosis of vitiligo
For diagnosis, first of all, a clinical examination of the patient and his thorough interviewing are used. This helps to make the right and quick decision. To confirm the pre-diagnosis, a biopsy method is used, and a histological examination is additionally prescribed. This analysis allows you to study melanocytes, detect their complete or partial dysfunction, and track the presence of changes in protein fibers.
Due to the fact that the edges of the spot are characterized by such a manifestation of the disease as an inflammatory reaction of a minor nature, in the later stages of the disease, an increase in the number of lymphocytes, hypertrophied melanosomes can be noted.
A specialist diagnosing vitiligo should clearly identify the disease and exclude similar symptoms of melanoma, albinism, atopic dermatitis, leukoderma, trichophytia, etc. After that, the diagnosis of vitiligo is completed and treatment is prescribed.
Causes of vitiligo development
It is still completely unclear exactly why vitiligo occurs and how it develops, but it is known that this disease is inherited. Since vitiligo is a dyschromia class disease, the problem should be looked for in the family history. We are talking about disorders of the nervous system, metabolism, secretory function of the glands, which can change genetics, fix these problems, passing information to future generations.
Other factors influencing the appearance of vitiligo have also been found. These include neuropsychiatric injuries, endocrine disorders, problems with the thyroid gland, ovaries, pituitary gland, adrenal glands. The more such disorders a patient has in the body, the higher the risk of vitiligo disease.
In addition, the appearance and development of the disease is influenced by the environment. Harmful external factors include work in harmful production, skin contact with chemicals (for example, phenolic substances).
The appearance of vitiligo can be provoked. Doctors note that the constant contact of the skin with synthetics, the lack of normal hygiene, the application of decorative cosmetics, the use of face and body care products containing harmful substances in the composition can cause problems in the work of melanocytes. This will serve as the beginning of the development of vitiligo, the reasons for the appearance of the disease are not fully described, but the work of scientists to identify the mechanism of its development continues.
Vitiligo is formed from injuries, scars and scars. The affected tissue around the wound, which is especially actively exposed to solar radiation, is a risk factor for vitiligo.
With a combination of the above reasons, the likelihood of vitiligo increases. Therefore, if at least one of the listed diagnoses is in the anamnesis, then it is worth once again to be safe and protect the skin from the influence of harmful external factors, UV radiation, etc.
Symptoms of vitiligo
The first spot that vitiligo manifests itself has an ivory color, its location can be any. Vitiligo is characterized by the fact that the outline of hyperpigmentation of the skin, i.e. condensed pigment, will be traced along the edge of each spot.
After the appearance of the first spot, it will grow peripherally, and then numerous other foci may appear, identical in signs of manifestation to the first. Depending on the degree of lesion of melanocytes, the color of the affected skin can vary from ivory to snow-white.
The rate of manifestation of melantocyte dysfunction and the degree of color loss cannot be predicted, scientists are unable to explain the mechanism of disease progress.
The main sign of vitiligo is the fact that the spots through which the disease manifests itself can form on any part of the skin, but they do not appear on the palms or soles. Hair lightens when melanocytes are affected, and a third of patients have early gray hair.
A tenth of patients may complain of an itching symptom, but in most cases vitiligo manifests itself asymptomatically and painlessly. Pronounced itching in the affected areas of the skin occurs in areas that are particularly sensitive to the effects of solar radiation.
Round spots mainly appear on the surface of the skin in the places of the fold, as well as on the face, buttocks and wrists.
The manifestation of vitiligo, the development of which was provoked by scars or scars, will be concentrated around the injury site. The same applies to those cases when the lesion is created by constant rubbing of the skin with synthetic clothing.
Diagnosis is also helped by the fact that symmetry is manifested in the development of the disease: spots are evenly formed on the skin.
The period in which the spots appear may be different. The fastest option — rapid vitiligo — is characterized by short-term formation of light spots. Other types of the disease manifest themselves over several months or years.
Treatment of vitiligo
Due to the fact that the nature of the origin, development and course of the disease is still not completely understood, therapy for vitiligo does not have a special effect. It is difficult to treat or stop it, the results show that only in five percent of cases of the disease, the skin regains its color.
It is quite possible to stop the process of spreading skin lesions by taking the right vitamins, minerals, copper and zinc.
Peripheral spot growth in vitiligo can be stopped by using hardware techniques — laser therapy or narrow-wave ultraviolet rays. This allows you to reduce the level and speed of the development of spots. Selective phototherapy and PUVA therapy are also prescribed.
To protect against ultraviolet radiation and mask cosmetic defects, high-coverage foundation creams are used, which include UV filters and blockers, since snow-white spots on the skin easily burn out in sunlight and aggravate the development of the disease.
A relatively good therapeutic effect is shown by the use of corticosteroids in the form of ointment in combination with psoralen, positive dynamics is observed in 75% of cases.
Phototherapy, therapy with hormonal drugs (both externally and internally) is prescribed individually.
It is almost impossible to predict the results of a particular treatment method. It is necessary to pay attention that in no case can you self-medicate, only a qualified specialist can justify and make up the tactics and strategy of therapy. The main thing is to visit a dermatologist in time to prevent the spread of the disease to various areas of the skin. The prognosis for vitiligo disease is always unfavorable.
