Transcript Vitiligo - andoverhighanatomy

VITILIGO
By: Bryce Williams
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
• Vitiligo, which is also referred to as white spot
disease or leukoderma, is a skin disease that
causes one to lose pigment in the skin due
destruction to melanocytes.
http://www.americanskin.org/resource/vitiligo.php
SCIENTIFIC DESCRIPTION
• When melanocytes ( pigment cells that produce
different colors of yellow, brown, blacks in the
epidermis layer of the skin) stop producing melanin,
the skin becomes pale. In which leaves areas of
white patches in different areas on the body such as
: above the head, armpits, groin, etc. which is called
vitiligo.
http://americankabuki.blogspot.com/2013
/05/gray-hair-as-well-as-vitiligo-nowcan.html
http://vitiligo.tedavisi.us/
SYMPTOMS
The symptoms of vitiligo are:
• pasty white patches of skin that appear
symmetrically on the body
• lack of pigment patches with white hairs
CAUSES OF THE DISEASE
Researchers do not know the exact cause(s) of vitiligo, but they
made inferences that some conditions may lead to the
development of the disease:
• hereditary contraction
• household chemical exposure such as phenol (disinfectant) or
catechol (used in dyeing or tanning)
• The body may be destroying its own melanocytes classified as
autoimmune disorder
• Skin injury
• Critical burns
• Inflammatory skin disorders
http://nationalnursingreview.com/2011/05/how-to-fight-vitiligo/
TREATMENT
The treatment methods may vary, dependent upon the degree of severity of
the individuals condition.
• Try to avoid tanning
• Always apply spf 30 or higher sunscreen to avoid skin damage
• The use of cosmetic make-up could temporarily mask the appearance of
white patches
• A normal patient may have the option to go through pigment treatment.
• Depigmentation is the destruction of the remaining melanocytes. A
bleaching chemical is applied to normally pigmented skin to those who
obtain vitiligo to over half of their body.
WORST CASE SCENARIO
Before Vitiligo
After Vitligo
http://skincarebylouisa.com/skin-conditions/vitiligo/
FACTS
• Currently in the United States, an estimated of
1 to 2 million people have the disorder.
• Most people with vitiligo develop it before
they turn the age of 40 years.
• Children whose parents have the disorder are
more likely to contract the disease through
biological traits.
WORKS CITED
• http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Vitiligo/vitiligo
_ff.asp
• http://www.avrf.org
• http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-andtreatments/guide/vitiligo-common-cause-loss-skinpigment