There are mainly 2 types of Vitiligo

• Segmental- which involves only one segment or part of the body like arm, leg, face, etc.
• Generalized- which effects large area of the body and this is the most common type.

Millions of people worldwide have Vitiligo. Usually, people get it before they reach 21 years of age. Most people will have Vitiligo for the rest of their lives. It is very rare for Vitiligo to disappear.

The risk of getting Vitiligo increases if a person has a close blood relative who has Vitiligo or it can be a part of an autoimmune disease, especially Hashimoto’s disease (a thyroid disease) or Alopecia areata.

Vitiligo develops when cells that give our skin and hair color called melanocytes die. We do not know exactly why these cells die.

There are varieties of treatment for Vitiligo patches. An experienced Dermato-cosmetologist is the best person to decide which treatment suits you. Dr. Sudha Vani has 19 years of experience in the field of dermatology and Sri Skin and Cosmetology Centre has the best facilities for the treatment.

The treatment options are

Cosmetic options include makeup, self-tanners, and skin dyes make Vitiligo less noticeable. This type of treatment is suitable for children to avoid the side effects of medicines.

Topical steroids are used in some type of Vitiligo for regaining color. This treatment requires supervision under dermatologist because certain areas are not suitable for this treatment.

Light treatment

Using light to restore lost color. Lightboxes are used to treat larger areas of Vitiligo.

Lasers are used to treat small areas. They are best for the face but require 2-3 sessions per week for several weeks. Laser treatment can be combined with another treatment such as a topical corticosteroid.

PUVA light therapy

Uses UVA light and a medicine called psoralen to restore skin color.

Psoralen may be applied to the skin or taken as a pill.

NBUVB therapy

Narrowband UVB chambers are used to treat Vitiligo with optimum results. It can be used in children and even during pregnancy.

Surgery

When light therapy, lasers, and medicines fail to give the optimum results, surgery is one of the options to be considered. This is not for children and the Vitiligo patches should not change for at least 6 months before surgery, what we call as Stable Vitiligo. Many surgical procedures can be done like transplanting skin which matches the normal skin color. The decision of doing which procedure is best is taken by experienced Dermato cosmetologist. Dr.Sudha Vani has an experience of 19 years in this field for the best guidance on this problem.

It is a careful and controlled extraction of skin color producing cells called melanocytes from the part of your normal colored skin and transferring them on to the Vitiligo patches. It is time-consuming and is done in an operation theater setting with full aseptic conditions. But when done by experienced hands, it works well as the transplanted skin color producing cells are from your own skin. Dr. Sudha Vani is a pioneer in the procedure in Hyderabad with good experience. She has published many papers on the procedure. We do this complicated and time-consuming procedure at our center and ours is the first among the very few clinics who do this procedure.

It is not possible to predict how a patient will respond to the treatment. It is important to keep in mind that no one treatment works for everyone. Results can vary from one part of the body to another. Combining two or more treatments often gives the optimum results.

Protect yourself from excessive sun exposure by appropriate clothing and suitable sunscreens.
Please know everything about Vitiligo including treatment options which helps you to take a decision regarding the right treatment for you.

The most important aspect of Vitiligo is the psychological and emotional disturbance it causes, therefore, to overcome it is important to observe the behavior of children as they can be teased and take guidance from a psychiatrist if required. There are many support groups for coping with the stress and Dr. Sudha Vani will guide you.