Vitiligo - White Blotch Disease

Vitiligo is the most common chronic skin disease a person may suffer from. The WHO is expecting 0.5 to 2 percent of the global population to suffer from this illness. Vitiligo is not painful, does not itch, and causes no other physical damage. Worse effects of this disease, however, are the psychic damage and stress affected persons are exposed to. This stress often harms social and professional life, too.

Often the affected person will display clearly edged bright blotches on his or her skin, preferably in the face, at the neck, the legs, or on the back of the hands. These blotches gave the German name to this disease: White Blotch Disease (Weißfleckenkrankheit) or vitiligo.

What is the origin of vitiligo?

The skin is composed of several layers. In healthy skin, pigment cells located in the lower layers – also called melanocytes – are producing melanin. This substance, melanin, provides the actual colour to the outer skin. Strong influence of solar radiation provokes an increase in melanin production, which is the reason why the skin will appear darker in summer.

Vitiligo means that the melanocytes are losing their ability to produce melanin. Affected parts of the skin will then appear white. In some cases, body hair at the affected areas may also lose its pigmentation and turn whitish.

Can vitiligo be healed?

Chances of recovery are better the sooner the therapy is started. The process of recovery may take months, sometimes years. Remember that the affected person will never fully recover, but a significant improvement of vitiligo may be hoped for. It is possible to predict that darker types of skin may react more strongly on the therapy than brighter types. Also smaller areas will quicker visibly improve than huge, deep blotches. As well a better success of recovery may be expected from a vitiligo therapy if the treatment is begun at an early state, immediately after the first spots have appeared.

Overview on vitiligo therapy

At an early state, an ointment containing cortison may achieve an improvement of the pigmentation. There is however no guarantee. If the vitiligo has already further progressed, phototherapy may be another option. In worst cases, if none of these treatments are successful, a transplant of pigment cells may be suggested.

All kinds of therapy primarily aim at returning some quality of life to the affected person.

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