How long does vitiligo last in the body?
How long does vitiligo last in the body?
This question is one of the most important questions that people with vitiligo search for an answer to, and this question also occupies the minds of many of those around them and those concerned about their affairs. Therefore, throughout the lines of this article, we have tried to answer this most common question: Is there a possibility to stop the spread of vitiligo on the skin? In addition to clarifying the most important information that a vitiligo patient should use during his journey with this disease.
Although most skin diseases do not threaten the life of the person who suffers from them, they have a psychological and social impact on the patient, which is what actually happens in the case of vitiligo, which is one of the most common skin diseases that affects different age groups, regardless of gender or skin colour. So, let’s first address the definition of vitiligo.
What is vitiligo?
It is one of the skin diseases that affects the pigment cells in the skin that are responsible for giving the skin its distinctive color, which also plays a role in protecting the skin from the sun’s rays. It also provides protection for the skin against microbes, and thus maintains the body’s balance. However, vitiligo leads to the loss of this. Cells and their death.
The age group from ten to thirty years is the age group most susceptible to vitiligo, but this does not prevent those under this age or older from contracting vitiligo, but there are not many ways of causing vitiligo.
When these pigment cells disappear, non-flaky white spots appear and have a distinctive shape distributed on the skin on one side, all over the body, or in one area of the body. Therefore, there are several types of vitiligo, the classification of which depends on the location of the vitiligo appearance in the body.
This makes the period of vitiligo spread and the speed of its spread in the body affected by two main factors:
The type of vitiligo the person has.
The first location of vitiligo in the body, after some recent studies showed that the speed of vitiligo’s spread in the body is related to the first location of its appearance. If the appearance of vitiligo is in the hands, the back torso, or the feet, it develops to other areas of the body faster, and usually This development is often adjacent to the first site of its appearance. When vitiligo appeared on the hands, vitiligo developed further on the face.
What is the relationship between the different types of vitiligo and the extent of its spread in the body?
As we mentioned previously, determining the type of vitiligo depends on determining where the vitiligo appears in the body. Among the most common types of vitiligo are the following:
Non-segmental or generalized vitiligo:
It is the most common type of vitiligo, where white spots appear on both sides of the body in the hands, forearms, feet, face, and mucous membranes such as (the moist lining of the nose, mouth, genitals, and rectum). It may also affect hair color change.
Recent studies have shown that the duration of the spread of non-segmental vitiligo takes longer, as it spreads slowly over several months, and these white spots usually remain in the same place for years without expanding or spreading.
Segmented vitiligo:
White spots appear on one side of the body, especially in the face and torso, and do not exceed the midline of the body.
The rate of spread of segmental vitiligo increases during the period from the beginning of the infection and then stabilizes after six months.
Mixed Vitiligo:
It initially appears on one side of the body and eventually develops into non-segmental vitiligo.
Are there other symptoms of vitiligo other than the appearance of white spots?
The main sign of vitiligo is the loss of pigmentation on the skin and the appearance of white spots. The appearance of these white spots increases on areas most exposed to sunlight, such as the face and hands. Premature graying of scalp hair, eyelashes, eyebrows, or beard also accompanies the appearance of spots. White.
Are there factors that increase the spread of vitiligo in the body?
Some studies have revealed that there is a relationship between the friction of clothing against vitiligo spots on the neck, ankles, and elbows, for example, and the development of its spread.
Genetic factors largely control the level of development of vitiligo in the body. In some cases, the spots stop without undergoing treatment, and in other cases, the white spots cover most of the surface of the skin.
Exposure to sunlight.
Mood and psychological changes.
Some types of vitiligo require intensive treatment to limit the speed of its spread in the body, which is determined by the doctor after undergoing a clinical examination.
Treatment options are available to reduce the spread of vitiligo
Treatment depends on restoring the natural skin color and reducing the speed at which vitiligo spreads in the body, but treatment cannot control the spread of vitiligo completely.
Apply topical steroid creams or ointments if you have small patches of vitiligo.
The skin must be protected from exposure to the sun to avoid sunburn by using sunscreen creams.
Take nutritional supplements that contain vitamin D.
Topical creams used to treat eczema are sometimes used to treat vitiligo spots and restore skin tone.
Phototherapy and surgery.
Finally, vitiligo is no longer a repulsive disease as it was in the past. Rather, the increased awareness among people of the nature of vitiligo, and that it is not a contagious disease, and the infection of many well-known figures with it and their acceptance of the disease, and their appearance on many public occasions, have made the matter more acceptable to people. Some people with vitiligo considered themselves distinct from those around them.
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