Share
Vitiligo is a chronic (long-lasting) disorder that causes areas of the skin to lose color. When skin cells that make color are attacked and destroyed, the skin turns a milky-white color. Given the contrast between the white areas and normal skin, the disease is most disfiguring in darker skin types and has a profound impact on the quality of life of both children and adults.
Signs and symptoms
- Loss of natural skin color. The patches can show up on any part of your body.
- Skin, which gets milky-white patches, usually on the hands, feet, arms, and face.
- Hair, which can turn white on the scalp, eyebrow, eyelash, and beard.
Vitiligo treatments
Although there is no cure for the disease, the available treatments may halt the progression of the disease and induce varying degrees of repigmentation.
- Drugs that control inflammation. Applying a corticosteroid on noncorticosteroid cream to affected skin might return color.
- Corticosteroid pills or injections might be an option for people whose condition is progressing rapidly.
- Light therapy. Phototherapy with narrow band ultraviolet B (UVB) has been shown to stop or slow the progression of active vitiligo.