Vitiligo Treatment
Vitiligo is a generalized abnormality of your immune system that result in white spots on your body; and there are currently no acceptable permanent means to halt this process. When we say treating vitiligo, it means eliminating the white spots weather root cause is addressed or not.
The following are the possible treatment options for vitiligo skin disorder.
Home Remedies
Various methods and remedies are used by the effected people for this disease which range from simple dietary modifications to ingestion of psoralen. The benefits are as variable as the nature of remedies. The most effective of all these is the use of psoralen but there use without supper vision of expert has a high potential of side effects which may preclude their use.
Alternate treatments
Psoralens are a group of naturally occurring, substances, which can sensitize human skin to the tanning effect of UV light (Sun light), thereby enhancing pigmentation. It is for this important quality, that they have been used with success, to treat vitiligo since ages.
Psoralen is found naturally in the seeds of Psoralea corylifolia, which is an important plant in the Ayuvedic system of Indian medicine. It is also found in common fig, parsley, West Indian satinwood and celery.
Oral Psoralen Therapy
It is commonly even as a domestic remedy for vitiligo, in which the plant Psoralea corylifolia is ingested in various recipes. A common example is soaking the planet parts in water over night and drinking the water in the morning.
The remedy is fairly effective when combined with sun exposure, but very few people will continue to use it because of the following reasons.
- Extremely unpleasant taste
- Large quantities are usually required for oral intake which is very cumbersome
- intolerance and side effects in form of nausea and allergic symptoms
- Unwanted over pigmentation of the whole body
- The pigmentation is usually temporary which is lost gradually on cessation of treatment
Precautions:
Psoralen is a very potent substance, and should not be used without adequate knowledge in its use.
Topical psoralen therapy
Application of the medicine on target skin area is a very vise and convenient alternative to oral ingestion. It can sensitize the skin even locally, which would subsequently gain color on sun exposure.
Various methods of local applications are recommended by different authorities e.g. extracts, oils and concoctions. In which the substance is used alone or in complex recipes along with other herbal materials.
Anti-Vitiligo which is currently the most potent treatment for vitiligo contains psoralean corylifolia in the strength of 8% W/W, along with three other constituents which modulate and enhance the action of this photo sensitizer. This combination has yielded almost permanent re-pigmentation compared with the temporary effect of oral psoralin threpy.
Homeopathy
Homeopathy like the allopathic medicine believes vitiligo to be a systemic disease, with localized expression. They however differ in the treatment approach, because homeopathy does not offer any localized topical remedy. It aims at detection and restoration of abnormalities in the constitution of the body. This necessarily means that the patient has to be treated and supervised by homeopathic professional.
Ayurvedic
Ayurvedic includes herbal/ natural remedial systems in addition to certain other disciplines like surgery and use of heavy metals. The treatment approach for vitiligo is similar to herbal/ all natural approach. Some of the experts also recommend therapeutic vomiting and purgation for vitiligo.
Prescription Medicine
Prescription medicine use either topical steroid or psoralen and oral psoralen.
Prescription medicines are those therapies which are regulated by public laws and their sales is generly prehibted without prescription form a medical professional. Their advantages and side effects are scientifically studied and have a large evidence base to back them up. The main disadvantage how ever they are very expensive and not as effective in vitiligo as some of the herbal products are.
Topical Steroid Therapy
Steroids are fairly potent suppressor of immunity and can hence be of benefit in auto-immune diseases. They are commonly used in the form of topical creams and ointments during the early stages of vitiligo. Milder steroids are used for the children and potent ones for the adults. They are usually recommended for a period of three months and the effect is generally temporary. Local and systemic side effects may limit the use of these agents for prolonged duration.
Steroids are chemically related to cortisol, the major hormone produced by adrenal glands. They are less potent than psoralen photochemotherapy in the treatment of vitiligo.
Psoralen Photochemotherapy
Psoralens are a group of naturally occurring, substances, which can sensitize human skin to the tanning effect of UV light (Sun light), thereby enhancing pigmentation. It is for this important quality, that they have been used with success, to treat vitiligo since ages.
Psoralen is found naturally in the seeds of Psoralea corylifolia, which is an important plant in the Ayuvedic system of Indian medicine. It is also found in common fig, parsley, West Indian satinwood and celery.
Surgical Therapy
Autologous skin grafts
The pigment containing skin from one area of the body is surgically shifted to an area where there is no pigment. The success is usually no predictable and the result may more un-acceptable than the base-line. When the cost, the hassle and the risk of surgical complication like scarring and infection are added, it becomes a fairly risk option to go for.
Skin grafts using blisters
It is a variation in the technique of skin grafting, in which blisters on the pigment containing skin are artificially created and then cut out to be transplanted at the required site. The risk of scaring is less than the standard technique but success in the form of re-pigmentation is not very encouraging.
Autologous melanocyte transplants
The pigment containing skin from one area of the body is surgically shifted to an area where there is no pigment. The success is usually no predictable and the result may more un-acceptable than the base-line. When the cost, the hassle and the risk of surgical complication like scarring and infection are added, it becomes a fairly risk option to go for.
Tatooing
Tattooing is used as a camouflage technique, but it is done with artificial pigments which are deposited into the skin, with the help of traditional tattooing needles or by surgical techniques in present scientific era. The accuracy of color match shall depend upon the skill of the person doing it. It will work best for darker skins, and the color may become lighter with the passage of time. There are risks of serious infections spreading through tattooing through traditional methods. Tattooing should only be carried out by certified licensed professional.
