About this topic
Your skin gets its color from a pigment called melanin. Melanin also helps to protect your skin from the sun. It is made by cells in the skin called melanocytes. Harm to the cells can cause white patches to appear on the skin. The patches feel like normal skin. ‚
You may have just a few white spots in a small area. Your white spots may not change or they may grow and cover a larger part of your body. The patches affect skin that is often in the sun, like the face and arms. You may have white patches where you have had an injury, like a scrape or burn. Other skin around the eyes, mouth, and other body openings might have loss of skin color. The patches show up more on people who have darker skin. ‚
What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Apply a sunscreen with a high sun protection factor (SPF) before going outdoors. Ask your doctor what sunscreen is best for your skin type.
- Wear clothing that protects you from the sun.
- Wear makeup or self-tanning products to cover the white patches if you are sensitive to how the spots look.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- Your doctor may send you to a doctor who is an expert in skin problems. This is a dermatologist.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Slow the loss of color
- Add color to the light patches
What problems could happen?
- Skin that is depigmented may be more likely to get skin cancer.
- New areas of color loss appear.
- Repigmented skin may be lighter or darker than the skin near it.
- More color may be lost over time.
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Skin, hair, or parts of the eyes lose color for no reason
- You are not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or you are feeling worse
Helpful tips
- Talk with your doctor if you are having trouble coping with this illness.
- Talk with your family and friends about ways they can help.
- Join a support group. Talking with others who have this problem may help you to better cope.
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my condition.
- I can tell you how to care for my skin.
- I can tell you what I will do if my skin, hair, or parts of my eyes lose color.
Where can I learn more?
American Academy of Dermatology ‚
http://www.aad.org/skin-conditions/dermatology-a-to-z/vitiligo ‚
National Organization for Rare Diseases ‚
http://www.rarediseases.org/rare-disease-information/rare-diseases/byID/243/viewAbstract ‚
National Vitiligo Foundation ‚
http://www.mynvfi.org/about_vitiligo ‚
NHS Choices ‚
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitiligo/pages/introduction.aspx ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚