What is Vitiligo?
Vitiligo is a chronic skin condition that results in irregular shaped blotches and patches where normal skin coloring is missing. One out of every 200 Americans has an area of their body affected by vitiligo, and it can occur in men and women of all ages and ethnicities. While this harmless condition isn’t a dangerous health concern, some may consider it disfiguring.
What causes Vitiligo?
It is believed that Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks melanin cells (those cells that produce pigment), however the underlying cause is unkown.
The loss of pigment may continue to spread with aging.
Vitiligo Treatment
While there currently isn’t a way to prevent developing vitiligo, there are specific, cutting-edge treatments that can help give improvement for the depigmentation in affected areas.
Your provider may recommend prescription creams, however these will only provide moderate improvements.
One of the most effective and popular treatments for vitiligo is using an excimer laser. This laser aims a high-intensity ultraviolet B (UVB) light at the area affected by vitiligo.