Understanding vitiligo
It usually starts with a few lighter patches of skin sometime before one’s thirtieth birthday. These patches may stay the same for years, or grow larger, or multiply. The new patches may be near the others, or far from them.
“Vitiligo (vid-ih-LIE-go) is a disease that causes loss of skin color in patches. The discolored areas usually get bigger with time. The condition can affect the skin on any part of the body. It can also affect hair and the inside of the mouth,” Mayo Clinic says.
To understand what it is, you should know that melanin is a natural pigment that gives your skin its color. It’s produced in cells called melanocytes. Vitiligo occurs when melanocytes die or stop producing melanin.
Mayo Clinic, the National Institutes on Health and the American Academy of Dermatology Associates all call vitiligo an autoimmune disease. But then they all say it can be caused by hereditary or triggered by a severe sunburn, injured skin (cut, scrape, burn) or by contact with strong chemicals.
There are different types of vitiligo. AADA says, “If you develop a few spots or patches that appear in one or a few places on your body, dermatologists refer to this as localized vitiligo. When vitiligo causes scattered patches of color loss on different areas of the body, it’s called generalized vitiligo.” Universal vitiligo is when people lose most of their skin color.
There is no way to predict vitiligo’s progression. There’s no way to know how much color someone’s skin will lose, nor if the patches will get larger or where they’ll appear. And currently, there’s no way to prevent it, nor is there a cure. However, sometimes the patches stop forming without treatment and occasionally, the skin gets its color back.
You’ll want to see your healthcare provider if areas of your skin, hair or mucous membranes lose their color. Keep in mind that lightening of the skin can be caused by other diseases. If the medico determines it is indeed vitiligo, there are treatments that can help restore natural skin tones and reduce the ability for vitiligo from spreading to other areas.
The Global Vitiligo Foundation’s website describes the process of diagnosis. “The medical professional may look at your skin using a special light called a Wood’s Lamp. The light shines UV light on your skin and allows your medical professional to look at your skin under magnification and UV light.”
The doctor might also take a skin biopsy of which there are two types used for vitiligo testing. Also, depending on what type of vitiligo is suspected, blood tests may be ordered to evaluate if other conditions are present.
“If you are diagnosed with generalized vitiligo, the doctor may recommend visits to an ophthalmologist or audiologist. Melanocyte are found in the eyes and inner ears as well as the skin, and cells in these areas can be impacted by vitiligo too,” GVF says.
And speaking of GVF, this website addresses some of the complications of vitiligo. Besides the risk of sunburn, eye problems and hearing loss, there’s social and psychological distress. People with vitiligo often suffer from anxiety, self-esteem issues and depression.
Tiffany Grant was 25 in 2022 when she made a video for GVF about the importance of people with vitiligo having a good support system. She leads an online Women’s Group called Vitfriends, another very interesting website.
“For my first fifteen years I tried to hide my vitiligo and pretend it wasn’t a part of me. I didn’t know anyone else with vitiligo and I felt very much alone for a really long time. It wasn’t until I was 23 when I bumped into a woman confidently showing off her vitiligo. And she told me, ‘I have vitiligo, it doesn’t have me.’”
Grant said that was the moment she realized that she was letting her condition rule her life and took steps to change that direction. Another video was made by Mark Braxton who is a support leader and member of GVF’s Communications Committee.
He said, “Others will look at your outside, but be the best person you can be on the inside and people will love all of you.” That’s good advice for all of us, isn’t it?
Kathy Hubbard is a member of Bonner General Health Foundation Advisory Council. She can be reached at kathyleehubbrd@yahoo.com.