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?  

[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

[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!