Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a condition that causes skin (and sometimes hair) to lose its color and become white in a process called depigmentation. Vitiligo is believed to be an auto-immune condition in which the body’s immune system attacks healthy pigment producing cells. These cells are responsible for producing color for our skin and hair, and without them, certain patches of the skin become white. Vitiligo is neither contagious nor life threatening, but it can be a lifelong condition.

Vitiligo usually affects all ages and genders, and it presents in childhood or adolescence. Most patients experience patches of depigmented skin that come and go on the trunk, face, extremities, and sometimes even inside the mouth and genital areas. Vitiligo is usually asymptomatic, but it can cause itch or pain in a very small subset of patients. The condition is more common in patients with strong family history of vitiligo, and in patients with auto-immune diseases like Hashimoto’s or alopecia areata.

Treatment options for Vitiligo:

• Prescriptions topical medications including corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, and newer agents like topical tofacitinib (Xeljanz)
• Laser light treatments to help control the overactive immune system and restore lost color
• Punch graft technique for resistant vitiligo patches or for areas that do not re-pigment easily like hands, feet, eyelids, and around lips
• Aggressive sun protection to minimize sun damage to depigmented skin.

Talk to our dermatologists if you notice any changes in the color of your skin. You may need additional testing to rule out associated auto-immune diseases. You can also visit www.vitiligosupport.org for vitiligo support groups.