Questions in the Dermatology Forum have been answered by Dr. A. Rockoff, a board certified dermatologist, affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine.

Subject: Re: Vitilago
Forum: The Dermatology Forum

Topic Area: Pigmentation Problems

Posted by Dianna on July 31, 1999 at 11:09:29

I am a white 40 year old female. I have been experiencing loss of pigmentation for about 10 years now. It is predominately located on the back of the neck, under my arms and around my eyes, however I am noticing more spots appearing in places such as the top of my thighs and the underside of my wrists. Is there any treatment for this that would not allow my pigmentation to be destroyed?

Posted by Derm M.D. ASR on August 01, 1999 at 00:14:29

Dianna:

yes, but not really. By that I mean there are a host of treatments doctors have used for vitiligo, but none is very good. These include potent cortisone creams (ineffective), pills plus sunlight (hard to do outside the propics, and side-effects), pills plus artificial light sources (tedious and ineffective, plus side-effects), skin grafting (partly and unpredictably effective), and so on. Some people apply cover-up makeup, but this is time-consuming and few are motivated enough to do it. (Still, you might consider it for certain areas.)

Destroying the rest of the pigment, as you allude to, is a drastic last resort, which does make sense for some people, though I personally have no experience administering it.

Vitligo, despite much research, remains a big hole in both our understanding and our therapeutic capabilities.

Best.

Dr. R

keywords: vitiligo. Rockoff

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