Vitiligo is a common skin condition that will directly affect your skin and make them lose pigmentation and color. The patches that develop on the skin are referred to as macules. Typically, the onset of these patches will start from hands, forearms, face, and feet. Further, this blog will offer comprehensive information about segmental vitiligo, its causes, and what triggers it.
What is vitiligo?
As all we know, segmental vitiligo is a skin condition, that will affect your skin and make it lose color. After the onset of this condition, your skin tone will turn white or lighter than your actual skin tone. Any areas of your body that lose their pigmentation are known as macules if they are less than 1 centimeter. Whenever there are sudden changes in your skin complexion, visit the best skin hospital in Coimbatore to effortlessly change your skin color.
If the vitiligo-affected part has hair, that hair will also turn into white or silver. This condition will affect your body when your immune system ruins melanocytes. Melanocytes produce melanin, which is the chemical that switches your skin color, or pigmentation.
Without races and segmental vitiligo affects everyone equally, notably, individuals with darker skin are more prone to this skin condition. Anyone at any age will develop this condition, and these patches and macules become visible before the age of 30.
Segmental vitiligo may easily affect your body when you already have certain autoimmune conditions like:
- Anemia
- Thyroid disease
- Addison’s disease
- Diabetes
- Rheumatoid arthritis
What are the causes and symptoms of vitiligo?
A loss of melanin can cause vitiligo, also the segmental vitiligo causes is not precisely known. Even though few researchers have suggested the main cause of segmental vitiligo can be:
- Autoimmune conditions: At times, your immune system will mistake healthy melanocytes for foreign invaders such as bacteria that will affect your body. Further, your immune system will overreact and trigger antibodies to destroy your melanocytes.
- Genetic changes: Whenever there is a change in your DNA or a genetic mutation happens, your melanocyte functions will be affected. More than 30 genes are there which can increase your risk of developing segmental vitiligo
- Stress: When you start experiencing emotional stress, or physical stress, the melanocytes producing pigment amount will be changed, notably post-injury.
Also Read: Forxiga Prescription: A Thorough Aide
Symptoms of vitiligo:
The common symptoms of segmental vitiligo include:
- Certain patches on your skin or mucous membranes that change color. These can be white or lighter than your natural skin complexion.
- Particular strands of your hair turn white or silver.
Usually, small areas of your body will be affected, and the symptoms are also very mild, while in advanced cases will disturb large areas of your skin. Even before depigmentation starts in vitiligo, few people experience itchy skin.
Any part of your body can be affected by this vitiligo, but the common places segmental vitiligo affects include:
- Hands
- Feet
- Face
- Arms
- Mucous membrane
- Genitals
How does segmental vitiligo start and progress?
Primarily small patches in your skin will develop and the segmental vitiligo spreading time is usually slow and further will spread to major parts of your body. In most cases, segmental vitiligo starts from your hands, forearms, face, and feet, even can also begin from any part of your body including mucous membranes like the moist lining of your mouth, nose, genital and rectal areas, eyes, and ears.
At times the big patches will continue to spread, but in most cases, they will stay in a place for many years. Over time, the areas of smaller patches will shift and change, and even particular areas of your skin lose and regain their pigment.
Each segmental vitiligo patients have a different amount of patches in their body. In a few people’s bodies, only certain areas are depigmented, while for others most of the body parts are affected and their natural skin color will be lost.
Is segmental vitiligo painful?
Unlike other conditions, segmental vitiligo doesn’t exhibit numerous symptoms, and notably, it is not painful. However, after the development of this condition, you will experience some painful sunburns on the macules. It is also recommended to protect yourself from the sun by using sunscreens, staying indoors during the hot hours of the day, and wearing protective clothing.
Typically, those macules lack melanocytes, so these affected portions will be more sensitive to the sun when compared to other parts of your body. Instead of tanning, this will cause quick sunburns. Further, it is quite significant to mention the emotional challenges they experience, individuals affected with segmental vitiligo will feel embarrassed about their skin condition. Usually, when individuals develop segmental vitiligo, their self-esteem will be reduced.
Is there any treatment for vitiligo?
Segmental vitiligo does not create any pain or harm so it is not necessary to get treatment, but when you have widespread segmental vitiligo or your physical symptoms disturb your mental well-being, then you seek the doctor’s help to treat this condition. The common treatment options for segmental vitiligo include:
- Medications
- Light therapy
- Surgery
- Depigmentation therapy
Medications: Simply said, there is no single medicine to treat this condition, but also there are certain drugs that can slow down the process of pigmentation loss, or help to revamp your color.
Light therapy: Light therapy will also help you regain your natural color, in this technique, doctors will employ UVB lights, light boxes, or medical-grade lasers at your skin, but typically it will take more time to see results in your skin. Further, there are also separate kinds of treatments available to treat vitiligo in the large area of the skin, including the use of a red light therapy bed.
Surgery: In some cases, doctors will recommend the best vitiligo treatment in Coimbatore like skin grafts, and blister grafting. In skin grafts, skin in other parts of your body will be used to cover the affected area. Further, your doctor won’t suggest surgeries, when you have rapid spreading and easy scars.
Depigmentation therapy: During this process, doctors will try to turn normal skin into a white color to match the areas affected by vitiligo. There are some drugs to apply to your affected areas, this will change your skin white to match the affected skin.
Final Thoughts:
Segmental vitiligo will change your skin condition, in most cases, treatment is not necessary because it is not harmful. But in common, segmental vitiligo will affect self-esteem and make individuals feel uncomfortable. Visit your healthcare provider to discuss the possible treatment options available to treat the affected areas of your skin. These treatment options will help you feel more comfortable and revamp your natural skin condition.
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