Vitiligo patterns

There are three known patterns for vitiligo; they are generalized, segmental, and focal. The generalized pattern is where the white patches will be seen almost on the entire body. Segmental is where the loss of color will be on one side of the body only. The focal pattern is characterized by white patches found on one or two areas only. Vitiligo is common in people who have autoimmune diseases such as diabetes and heart diseases. It affects both men and women, and affects them equally.

This condition, however, differs from one person to another and so it is very difficult to predict it. It is also very difficult to identify as there is no established pattern for its occurrence. You should, however, be aware of its known symptoms so if any of them come up, you can consult a skin doctor immediately.

Symptoms of vitiligo

The common symptoms of vitiligo are white patches on the skin, especially on the areas which are exposed to sunlight for longer periods. Other than the common areas, it may also appear – albeit less frequently – on areas around openings such as the nostrils, genitals, and rectum; along skin folds; the navel; areas around moles, and previous injury sites.

It may happen that a rapid pigment loss occurs on several skin areas, followed by a stable period, when there is no apparent pigment loss. Afterwards, further cycles of alternating stability and pigment loss are noted.

Other than the more obvious symptom of white patches, vitiligo may also exhibit the following less common symptoms: premature graying or whitening of hair; loss of color in the retina of the eye; and loss of color in the mucous membranes of the mouth.

There are also white patches caused by liver disorders and other skin infections, which are often mistaken as vitiligo by many people. In order to avoid this confusion, consult a skin expert who will examine you and perform some tests in order to determine the exact disorder. Depending on the results, the skin expert will be able to confirm if it is indeed vitiligo. Once this is confirmed, you need to undergo treatment to prevent the white patches from spreading to the entire body.

Vitiligo treatments

There are two important treatments undertaken to reduce the symptoms of vitiligo. These are medical therapies and surgical therapies. Patients should go for surgical therapies only if the medical therapies do not work.

Vitiligo is a common skin disorder that has no proper cure. The lack of pigmentation results in discoloration of the skin that is often pale white. Vitiligo can’t be cured but can be covered. Many cosmetics and other grafting techniques are utilised to cover up the entire discoloured symptom. This video explains all about vitiligo and more about its causes. The causes of vitiligo may be either due to immunity defects that allow foreign particles to settle on melanin pigmentations and thereby causing damage. Heredity can also become a major cause of this defect. In some people consuming drugs that can cause allergic reactions can trigger vitiligo.

All throughout his career, Michael Jackson’s skin tone gradually became lighter, and his nose and facial contours changed markedly. He also apparently lost a lot of weight. The main reason for his skin turning lighter, according to official reports, is that he was affected by vitiligo from the earlier stages of his life.

Who diagnosed vitiligo in Michael Jackson?

Deepak Chopra, a medical doctor and a good friend of Michael Jackson, was the first doctor to diagnose vitiligo in Michael Jackson in 1986.

How was it diagnosed?

Michael Jackson’s skin was of the usual skin tone for African-Americans during his youth and at the early stages of his career. However, during the mid-1980s, the skin gradually turned whiter, and this was believed to be the result of skin bleaching. It fueled reports that he desired to have Caucasian features. These changes involved widespread media coverage. A biography by J. Randy Taraborrelli on the pop icon revealed the fact that Michael Jackson was indeed suffering from vitiligo and lupus. Vitiligo partially lightened his skin, while the lupus was in remission. Both these illnesses made Michael Jackson sensitive to sunlight. To treat these illnesses, Michael Jackson regularly injected a drug known as hydroxychloroquine directly into his scalp. This treatment made his skin even paler. He also used pancake make up to lighten the other areas of his skin for an even coloration throughout the body.

Michael Jackson revealing vitiligo in a meeting

In February 1993, Michael Jackson himself revealed that he was suffering from the skin disease, and to create an even coverage, he did make use of large amounts of makeup on his skin. This became a major point in Jackson’s career, as his public disclosure on vitiligo shed light on this disease which was a relatively unknown condition at that time.

Autopsy report

One of the autopsy reports has also confirmed the fact that Michael Jackson indeed suffered from vitiligo and lupus. They inspected the skin under a microscope and found the results. Jackson’s skin did contain a reduced amount of melanocytes. Melanocytes are the cells that are responsible for giving color to the skin. Since these cells were found in very small quantities during the autopsy, they have confirmed that Michael Jackson had actually suffered from vitiligo, as one of its symptoms is reduced melanocytes.

Thus, from the doctor’s and biographer’s reports, as well as by Michael Jackson’s own admission and from the results of the autopsy, we can conclude that Jackson did suffer from vitiligo and lupus for several years, until his death, which, incidentally, was not caused by either of these conditions.

Vitiligo is also known as leucoderma, and it is a chronic disorder that causes white patches on the skin. It occurs when the pigment melanin, which is responsible for producing the color of the skin, does not function properly or die. This condition affects both males and females equally, and the symptoms of multiple white patches are the same in both genders. It is evident in areas that are most commonly exposed to sunlight, but will also affect other parts of the body such as the mucous membrane and the scalp.

Who are affected by this disorder?

Leucoderma vitiligo most commonly affects people between the ages of 10 and 30. When the melanocytes die or if they do not function properly, melanin is not produced, and the cells therefore do not acquire the normal skin color. It may have a genetic cause; that is, if a person has family members affected by leucoderma, then that person will have greater chances of being affected by leucoderma as well. It is also common in people who have autoimmune diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

Symptoms

The major symptom of leucoderma vitiligo is the appearance of white patches on the skin, most usually on the face, around the mouth and lips, legs, hands, and arms, as these are almost always exposed to sunlight. It may be difficult to diagnose leucoderma vitiligo during its early stages, as white patches on the skin might be due to other skin infections. Some of the common symptoms of leucoderma vitiligo are:

• Graying of the hair
• Loss of color of the skin inside the mouth
• Loss of eye color

The patches that appear will initially be seen as small patches, but later, they will start to enlarge and spread to the other parts of the body.  Once you come up with such symptoms, it would be prudent to see a doctor immediately.

Diagnosis

The doctor will conduct a thorough examination to test for leucoderma vitiligo. This would involve a physical examination, looking into the medical history, and will also delve into the family history to check for genetic links. Later, for confirmation, the doctor may have a skin biopsy carried out, which will show details of the melanocytes. Later, the results will be assessed prior to confirming the presence of leucoderma vitiligo.

Treatment

Homeopathic methods are some of the best and most effective ways of treating leucoderma vitiligo. Homeopathic medicines should be taken only under the proper guidance of a homeopathic practitioner in order to avoid the side effects which are associated with it. These homeopathic remedies will help in controlling the spread of the white patches to other parts of the body and will also help in modulating the immune system. They have also been found to aid in improving the natural formation of melanocytes. Apart from homeopathic remedies, there are also Ayurvedic and other natural remedies available for curing leucoderma vitiligo.

Vitiligo may have a lot of different causes. The main basis of this condition is melanin deficiency. This can be triggered either by some chemical reaction or hormonal change, or due to some infection of the skin. Vitiligo is often thought to be hereditary. Here, you will learn about the hereditary nature of this skin disorder.

Vitiligo and heredity:

Studies linking vitiligo to genetics are still inadequate as only 0.75% of the population is affected by this disorder. In addition, very few vitiligo patients are unaware of other family members having the disease. However, 10% of sufferers have a family history of vitiligo, pointing to its hereditary component. Vitiligo was spotted in two children who had the same parents; they were twins, and both had the same condition. Researchers, though, confirm that children of vitiligo patients are more likely to get this disorder as well than those with parents who are not affected by it. This doesn’t mean, however, that parents with vitiligo would definitely pass the condition on to their children.

From the little data gathered, it has been found that roughly 30% of vitiligo patients have a family member who also has the disorder. However, only 5-7% of children with one or two affected parents may have it, and majority of vitiligo patients do not have relatives who have the condition.

Vitiligo skin disorder is commonly found in people above 40, and this makes it difficult for researchers to establish a genetic link. The habits of the person and his body conditions, including his capacity to bear heat and other climatic conditions, can also become causes of vitiligo. There are many children who have been born without vitiligo even though one of his parents has the condition.

Vitiligo can be stable and it can also progress quickly. The possibilities for both these conditions are equal. Those opposing the theory on the genetic nature of vitiligo state contend that vitiligo concerns the dermal layer of the skin and that there is no link to the person’s DNA.

On the other hand, those who do say there is a genetic factor involved state that the melanin pigmentation initiated by melanocytes can be reduced or increased by the immunity of a person. This immunity, they argue, is genetic and if a person giving birth has a lowered immunity, then the same can happen to the child.

Additional facts:

Vitiligo can be easily treated at the right time through certain types of laser treatment or other advanced treatment methods. Some of these techniques are even safe for pregnant women affected by vitiligo. The chances of increasing the immunity of a person can also be passed on to the baby, and this can result in the prevention of vitiligo. Homeopathic methods make use of all the information about the person’s body conditions. In such a cure, the source or the basis of the disorder is treated and it reduces the chances of transmitting vitiligo to the child through heredity.

In Ayurveda, the disorder vitiligo is known as “shwitra” or “kilaas”. The formulations that are used for vitiligo in Ayurveda are:

Apart from these, herbal medicines are also used, namely:

• Bavachi (Psoralia corylifolia)
• Daruharidra (Berberis aristata)
• Haridra (Curcuma longa)
• Khadir(Acacia catechu)
• Manjishta (Rubia cordifolia)
• Saariva (Hemidesmus indicus)
• Triphala
• Vidanga (Embilia ribes)

The most commonly used herbal medicine for this skin disorder is called bavachi. In this treatment, bavachi paste is applied to the affected areas – these are the white patches – and after application, the areas are exposed to the sun’s rays for some time. The sun’s rays should be mild, and this can only be done at a specific time of the day. Bavachi is available in powder or tablet form. The medicine from this herb should be given with a gradual increase, followed by a corresponding gradual decrease in intake.

Since vitiligo is related to a defective immune system, the Ayurvedic treatments that can be used to manage it are: yashtimadhuk (Glycerrhiza glabra), ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), and shatavari (Asparagus racemosus).

There can also be some therapies done in Ayurveda for treating or at least minimizing the symptoms of vitiligo. They are the five-fold detoxification therapies in Ayurveda.

Therapeutic vomiting:

Vamana is a type of medicated therapy done in ayurveda for removing the kapha toxins that are present in the body, as well as in the respiratory tract. This treatment, if followed daily, will help in loosening and mobilizing the toxins.

Therapeutic purgation:

Here, the virechana type of medicated therapy is done in order to remove the pitta toxins which mostly accumulate in the liver and the gall bladder.

Therapeutic enema therapy:

Basti, which is also known as an enema, is the mother of all treatments that are included in ayurveda as it clears all the toxins that accumulate in the organs.

Therapeutic nasal drops:

The medicated therapy which is done here is nasya, in which oil will be poured into the nose in order to clean the toxins which accumulate at the head and in the neck region. This treatment can be carried out for 10 days, depending on the condition of the patient.

Therapeutic bloodletting therapy:

The procedure which is followed here is known as the rakta mokshana. It will help in cleansing the blood and is recommended only in some rare conditions.

By following these Ayurvedic methods, there will soon be a noticeable change in the condition.