Vitiligo is a common disease, which causes a loss of pigmentation. It makes the skin lose its colour and white patches start appearing on the patients body. The causes of disease, have not yet been identified and research is still ongoing in this field. Vitiligo treatment is usually difficult because of its chronic nature, and a permanent cure is hard to achieve, but some procedures do offer partial relief.
Many doctors advise Vitiligo patients to go for Phototherapy. This is a widely used treatment, which entails exposure to ultraviolet rays causing the skin to tan. The patient is required to use a substance called Psoralen either orally or by soaking the treatment area with it and the UVA rays are then directed at the affected area to stimulate melanocytes, the melanin producing cells.
As explained at the dr mulekar vitiligo treatment web site, skin grafting is another popular Vitiligo treatment. In skin grafting, doctors surgically replace the diseased part of the skin with a healthy melanocyte rich graft. The new cells start manufacturing melanin, thus re-pigmenting the skin.
Sometimes the disease ends up affecting almost the entire span of the patients skin. In such cases, artificial de-pigmentation of unaffected skin is an option. White patches cannot be distinguished from the normal skin after this treatment, which is cosmetically a better alternative for most patients. Doctors usually recommend this as the final solution as it is an acute step.
Some natural and herbal remedies are also used for Vitiligo treatment. These include use of substances like Ginkgo biloba and peppermint oil. Special cosmetics are also available in the market for covering Vitiligo affected areas.
Patients suffering from the disease can get some degree of relief through the Vitiligo treatments mentioned above until further research into the matter can find a complete cure. With the fields of biotechnology and genetics advancing day by day, a better cure could be on the horizon.
Tags: Health, skin disorder, vitiligo, vitiligo treatment