Vitiligo is a disease where the skin loses the pigment that gives it colour, and white patches start appearing on the skin surface. The condition is also known as leukoderma and its exact causes are not fully understood. Vitiligo is chronic and this has made completely healing it difficult, but some Vitiligo treatments do offer a temporary or cosmetic cure.
Phototherapy, which artificially tans the skin through limited ultraviolet radiation, is a frequently used Vitiligo treatment. 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 discussed at the vitiligo treatment web site, grafting of skin is another remedy for Vitiligo patients. This is a surgical way of re-pigmentation the skin. In this treatment, a melanocyte graft is used to replace the white patch so that the pigmentation process can be restarted.
In some severe cases where the condition has affected almost the entire skin surface, there is an option of de-pigmenting the unaffected areas too. White patches cannot be distinguished from the normal skin after this treatment, which is cosmetically a better alternative for most patients. De-pigmentation should however be done only when no other option is available, and any potential negative effects must be carefully considered.
Some natural and herbal remedies are also used for Vitiligo treatment. Natural treatments often make use of Ginkgo biloba, and in some cases peppermint oil. The white patches can also be covered using cosmetics specially made for the purpose.
A lot of work is still needed to fully understand this disease and its causes. However, these Vitiligo treatments provide some cosmetic options to the patients. With advancements in biotechnology, the chances of finding a permanent cure of the disease are increasing.
