Vitiligo Frustration

[Diane_H]

Hi,  I know I'm not alone when I say I'm frustrated with my vitiligo.  This came to me 3 years ago out of nowhere.  I'm 41 now.  I have a dark complextion, and no one else in my family has it.  Back in February, I went to see a dermatologist who gave me a perscription for Pro-Topic ointment.  After several months of applying it to the spots on my face, I did regain some pigment.  The problem is that it has just multiplied on other areas of my body bi-laterally.   I have also taken several different herbs and other homeopathic pills, with no noticiable change.  A neighbor who says she has vitiligo, told me that her repigment process involves rubbing Selsun Blue Shampoo all over her body for 2 days straight, then goes to the tanning salon.  She showed me how her pigment has come back but I'm still skeptical.  I don't know how safe that whole procedure is.  I would like to know if vitiligo is an external problem or internal problem and what do you think should be my next course of action?  

[vitiligo]

Can any please confirm me whether "Vitiligo is a cosmetic desease or a dermotologic desease"


Thanks
Vitiligo sufferer

[muzammel]

hello all. i have had vitiligo since 10 years now.even though i just have it on my hands and feet but still it gets to me sometime. i too have tried different treatments with results varying but none have given 100% success results. i am still looking for a treatment which would eliminate this disease.if some one has a cure for vitiligo please tell me about it.
            thank you

[lindseyd2400]

I have had Vitilogo for 25 years now. I was 4 when my mom noticed the first white spot on my knee. After countless trips to the doctor when I was younger, we finally realized this: there is no cause or cure for this disorder!  The only thing that has made my pigment return is time! When I was 15 (and  had vitiligo on most of my body) I started noticing it slowly going away. At 29, I am left with only minimal Vitiligo on my parts of my feet, lower legs and hands. I know how everyone with this disorder feels. Just know  if you are feeling down in the dumps about how it looks... If you have lots of pigment loss or only a little... if people even notice your disorder, they could care less. It took me a long, long time to learn this. Good Luck!

[abc12325]

i have had vitiligo for over a year now,i am 50 years old and i belive the only treatment is to try and live with it.the spots on my neck and chest faded during winter but they seem to be coming back now.i used some protopic cream last year which is very expencive here in malta but i belive there is no treatment yet,they appear when they please and fade when they please.i have new patches between my breasts and on my armpits.the best thing to do is if you have fair skin use a sun blokk cream so that your good skin will not get darker and they will be less noticeble,let us all pray and hope for a cure soon.
joyce

[Dr Santos]

Hi,

Selsun blue is not affective fbecause it is not indicated for vitiligo. SInce vitiligo is immune related, it is not easily treated. However, there are a number of ways to alter the appearance of vitiligo without addressing its underlying cause. In mild cases, vitiligo patches can be hidden with makeup or other cosmetic camouflage solutions. If the affected person is pale-skinned, the patches can be made less visible by avoiding sunlight and the sun tanning of unaffected skin. The traditional treatment given by most dermatologists are corticosteroid cream, phototherapy, immunomodulator creams, or chemical depigmentation.  Talk to your dermatologist for proper management.

Take care and regards.

[ashie22uk]

Please can anyone suggest anything selsum blue does not work neither do herbal tablets i have had vitiligo since i was 4 and my doctor says there is nothing to cure vitiligo but i have read of tablets that reduce its appearance although i do not know the name if anyone knows of anything that works please posta comment

[cashwoman]

Hello waterox. Your friends confused. Selson blue does not affect Vitiligo. Whoever it does help with Tinea Versicolor which is a fungus that causes white spots on the shoulders, chest, neck and back commonly. When I first got Vitiligo my doctors hoped that it was tinea versicolor since it is treated with creams since it is a funus and goes away. After my spots grew and where large unsymetrical patches they then knew it was Vitiligo. But boy, it was not fun soaking in medicated selsun blue for 5 minutes a day hoping that the spots would disapear! Just remember Tinea Versicolor is fungus and Vitiligo is usually immune system related :)

[waterox]

Hi,
I have vitiligo for about 13 years now and tried nearly everything i can. My vitiligo got worse when I went to multiclear treatment every second day for 6 months and payed 4000 euro as the doctors cheated many of us, no one got any good sign but new vitiligo areas. I got very good success with mealdinina tincture (1/5 mix with bergamot oil)  what is the best I have did but my vitiligo developed in winter again so it is hard way to fight using tincture and going to sunbath for months, it comes back in following winter. Amanda told me she had vitiligo and selsum blue got rid of all. I couldn't believe as I met her in a boat and she was in her tiny bikini has no white spot. I began to use selsum blue for a month and somehoow I believe vitiligo has some fungual agent what eats or blocks our pigment cells..I read a lot, I worked as a emergency nurse so have pretty much idea about health and not the silly one but I think some kind of agent is normally harmless became harmful in case we are in high stress or etc. That is why our immun system is overdrive as we always have it as a antibody in our system. It might has a strong skills to hide in cells also. There is nothing that confused or impossible in health issues as I learn and no one can say this theory can not be true without explaining the main mechanism as it doesn't but it triggers. Actually I believe this trigiring the mechanism of vitiligo such complex. I saw a guy threated his vitiligo in 6 months with anti-fungal pills, I have told by Amanda selsum blue worked, you have told it worked for your neighboor. Too many coincidence than ... I apply selsum blue 5 minutes before my shower everday. I also use oreganol oil super strenght orally, 3 drops in a glass of water, 3 times in a day. Hope these will work for all of us.. Good Luck!

[Dr_Aparna]

Hi,
Vitiligo or leukoderma is a chronic skin disease that causes loss of pigment, resulting in irregular pale patches of skin. The precise cause of vitiligo is complex and not fully understood. There is some evidence suggesting it is caused by a combination of auto-immune, genetic, and environmental factors, making it a combination of external and internal factors.
Occasionally small areas may repigment as they are recolonised by melanocytes. The location of vitiligo affected skin changes over time, with some patches re-pigmenting and others becoming affected.
Vitiligo may also be caused by stress that affects the immune system, leading the body to react and start eliminating skin pigment.
The traditional treatment given by most dermatologists is corticosteroid cream.Phototherapy may also be beneficial.
Studies have also shown that immunomodulator creams such as Protopic and Elidel also cause repigmentation in some cases, when used with UVB Narrowband treatments.
A study has shown that orally-taken Ginkgo biloba can be effective in arresting the progression of slowly-spreading vitiligo.
ref:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitiligo