Vitiligo Causes and Symptoms

What is vitiligo and why is it given prominent attention among other skin disorders?  Vitiligo is nothing but skin discoloration due to the absence of melanocytes. These are the skin cells responsible for imbuing pigmentation to the skin. Compared to albinos, people suffering from Vitiligo are characterized by patches of depigmentation, especially in areas of the body where there are openings. In albinos, melanocytes are totally absent, leading to the absence of any color in the entire skin.

Experts suspect that the condition is brought about by several causes, although these are just hypotheses at best.  But looking deeper into one may conclude that there are some reasons to believe that they may be true. In this article, you are going to learn a bit about the causes of vitiligo, the symptoms of vitiligo, and about a natural treatment for vitiligo.

Causes of Vitiligo

Genes: Heredity is one. There are carriers among people who spread the condition through genetics. It’s not clear whether the carriers are men or women. According to studies, the trait will appear sooner or later among one of the descendants. That said, the incidence of the skin disease is very rare. Only around 1% are victimized by it; meaning that the possibility of it contaminating any member of the family is relatively low.

Viral or bacterial in nature: Comparing the other suspected reasons, we can say that this is the least of them all. But even though the possibility may be remote, it can’t be totally discounted. These tiny pathogens are found anywhere in the body and may cause some changes in the cell composition during cell division or normal cellular homeostatic activity. The reaction may happen during pregnancy or during the lifetime of the victim.

Autoimmune disorder:  This is as close as one can get, next to heredity. The body is protected by antibodies that fight off foreign invaders. They’re called white blood cells or leukocytes. There are instances when the antibodies fail to distinguish normal body cells, killing them in the process. The results are sometimes catastrophic. In Vitiligo, according to theories, the leukocytes attack the melanocytes thereby creating white skin patches in areas where this happens.

Chemical reaction:  Exposure to chemicals is also another improbable cause. Although improbable, it is not impossible since chemicals can also cause alterations in the human body when overly or repeatedly exposed to them.

Overstress: There are several abnormalities suffered by the body which are the results of too much stress. Ulcers and high blood pressures are two among many. Can Vitiligo be one of them?

There are a lot more causes that may potentially cause Vitiligo: excessive exposure to sunlight, unusual change in body pH, using cosmetics like creams and lotions, cuts and wounds, neural disorders, some food we eat, and so on.

Symptoms of Vitiligo

 

Symptoms usually begin with white spots starting to appear, especially near body orifices and places constantly exposed to sunlight. The face, back of the neck, hands, and feet are commonly affected. Even parts that are fully covered are not safe.

Check the color of the hair of the affected areas. It usually turns gray, and the white spots are neither itchy nor pruritic. If you are a vitiligo sufferer, keep in mind that there is a natural treatment for vitiligo and it is never too late to cure yourself.