What is Vitiligo?

It is a common acquired skin disease characterized by severe circumscribed, discolored spots.

This is a pigmentation disorder in which melanocytes are destroyed.

What is affected by the Leucoderma?

It affects equally the male and female population of the planet, regardless of skin phototype or race and can people of all ages. The Leucoderma has been shown to be common in people with other autoimmune diseases such as thyroid dysfunction, diabetes mellitus, alopecia areata, megaloblastic anemia, etc.

Autoimmune disorders which is and vitiligo, which has not clarified whether it is disease or syndrome would be better to characterize eternalness i.e. when the body’s immune system reacts against its own organs and tissues, and an antibody does not recognize as his own, however, these elements produced. This is caused by a lack of functional melanocytes, skin discoloration as a result of disruption of melanin transfer.

The incidence varies between 0.1 % - 2 % in most populations of the land, except areas with genetic and environmental influences humidity, temperature, sunlight where the proportion is as high. In 35-40 % of patients find that there is a family first and second grade have vitiligo. The genetic data do not speak for multi-factorial inheritance - gene not obey, and due to an abnormality that alters the composition and distribution of melanin.

The exact cause of vitiligo, however, remains unclear.

What are the symptoms of Leucoderma?

The discolored spots located in the body and are of various sizes are often in places exposed to sunlight, such as - face - mouth - hands - legs - arms. Other sites are hallowed elbows - knees - breasts - the sternum and the skin areas surrounding the cavities, such as around the eyes, mouth, navel, genitals, and anus. Quite often there are discoloration eyebrows, eyelashes and generally all body parts.

The skin with vitiligo do not differ in anything from sound to the look and feel only in the area of damage, and in some cases presented pruritus and hyperhidrosis. The Leucodermas did not belong to infectious or contagious disease and is not spread by physical contact from the patient to stay healthy.

Out whose responsible factors affecting the expansion of the spots?

Unfortunately not find a way to predict the extension of the spots of vitiligo. Usually the disorder is progressive and over time spread to other parts of the body. In smaller proportions, the spots are stable for decades. Finally some people are spread so rapidly to cause panic and other slow or even for several years.

The extension may assist a number of factors reflecting the releasing factors of vitiligo, such as:

1. Skin Injuries: Bruises or simple injuries or significant damage from accidents, chemical burns, sunburns.
2. Intense stress: stressful everyday events - Deaths - disappointments - losses.
3. Hormonal disorders such as pregnancy, menopause, puberty.

Form of a Leucoderma

There are many divisions. The winners are:

Focal = Discoloration on one or a few areas.
The partial lesions occur unilaterally usually follow the path of dermatomes.
Generalized = Discoloration on different parts of the body and occupies a large portion of this area.

What determines skin color?

Skin color is determined by the absorption of radiation of sunlight on skin color:

a) Melanin (skin)

b) Hemoglobin (blood vessels)

c) Bacterium (subcutaneous tissue)

The vitiligo is a consequence of the absence of melanin.

Melanin is the substance that gives color to skin, hair and eyes and is produced by melanocytes in the epidermis.