Best Possible Ways That Can Help Improve Your Vitiligo

OVER VIEW

Vitiligo is a skin condition, In which our skin loses its pigmentation, which causes white patches on the face, neck, hands, foot, knee, etc.

The most common reason for this disease is an autoimmune disorder, in which our immune system, attacks our color-producing cells, and causes white spots.

It is not spread and is not life-threatening.

NOTE: Vitiligo symptoms appear in 10 to 20 years old people And rarely appear in the very young or very old (1).

A person with vitiligo has a greater risk of skin cancer than a person with melanin pigment. To protect your from sun exposure or UV rays, to prevent cancer.

There are many modern science treatments available that can help suppress white patches or match with normal skin color.

And every spot or patch is not vitiligo, which may occur due to other health conditions such as allergy, atopy, etc. So be sure to talk to the doctor.

Check out – Vitiligo: Reasons, How Common is It? Treatment, Prevent

NOTE: So here are the best possible ways which can help in the cover-up, suppress, or match with normal skin color.

What Ayurveda Say?

Skin is our largest sense organ, which protects us from unwanted invaders, and melanin is vital one of the pigments that give color to the skin.

According to the Dr. Mini Ayurvedic physician, from doctor circle, this is called shvitra or shwetakustra. And they say –

If these occur due to autoimmune conditions, the system can be detoxed, through diet change, which restores healthy digestion and calms down the imbalanced doshas.

NOTE: There are many renowned ayurvedic herbs that are famous for the regeneration of melanocytes including:

• Bakuchi – These ayurvedic herb seeds are also used the treat vitiligo with many therapeutic properties.

It is one of the rich sources of naturally occurring psoralen, which protects skin from the tanning effect of UV and sunlight.

• Haridra (turmeric) – It contains adaptogenic, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial, antiallergic, hepatoprotective, and antioxidant agents, which are very beneficial for health.

It is widely used to treat immune-related disorders like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), bronchial asthma, etc.

Turmeric breaks this pathogenesis and prevents the self-destruction of melanocytes, however, more research is needed on it.

Even, many studies indicated that both “haridra and bakuchi” can play a role in controlling the symptoms of vitiligo, and in the regeneration of melanocytes.

Bakuchi and Haratala have no toxic effects on the body.

During a study, 30 vitiligo patients were treated with a Chinese herb compression. results after 3 courses of treatment some effective rate was observed about 96.7% in the treatment group and 76.7% in the control group.

Learn – Homeopathy Vs Ayurveda Vs Allopathy: Difference, Pros, And Cons

Modern science

There are many varieties of drugs, which dermatologist science has achieved many achievements in it.

Medication

Immuno Suppresser – These drugs are used to suppress, or reduce, the strength of the body’s immune system.

In the vitiligo case, the immune system is prevented from attacking its own body tissues, organs, and cells (pigment cells (melanocytes) in the skin)

These drugs include glucocorticoids and calcineurin inhibitors are considered to be first-line vitiligo treatments (2)

Immunomodulators – These drugs are used to treat the inflammation caused by autoimmune diseases like vitiligo, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.

Zinc – It suggests that oxidant stress might play an important role in vitiligo.

One study showed that zinc can be an effective treatment of vitiligo, And the combination of zinc and topical steroid is more effective than the topical steroid alone.

Some theories say, that oxidative stress is also one reason for vitiligo, it can be control by inhibiting the production of free radicals (3)

Creams – A cream that contains a steroid helps to blend the white patches with your normal skin color, so people can’t notice it.

A doctor can suggest you camouflage cream, which lasts for up to 4 days on the body, is waterproof, and lasts for 12 to 18 hours on the face.

In some recent years, FDA has approved a new drug application for 12 years of age, and old age patients, which is ruxolitinib cream.

Injections – Intralesional corticosteroid injections have been used for treatment for vitiligo, with some patients showing significant improvement without surgery.

Scientists indicate that oxidative stress is one of the reasons for its development.

In recent years, scientists develop NCTF 135 Ampoule, for the treatment of vitiligo, which reduces the impact of oxidative stress and protects cells from free radicals.

The doctor applies it once a week for 5 weeks, Resultin the patients saw a lot of positive changes in the skin white patches.

Therapies

Phototherapy – It’s considered a second-line and most common treatment for vitiligo (4), It includes lighting the skin with a UV lamp, this treatment can be done at home or in the clinic.

It takes a few weeks and months, even years, depending on where the vitiligo has affected the skin.

Narrow bend UV ray (NBUVB) – It is considered better than PUVA therapy, whose most effective response was found to be seen in the face and neck (5).

Radiation – UV-B micro phototherapy is seen as effective in restoring pigmentation in vitiligo patients. no side effects have been seen, so its limited use was said (6).

PUVA – In this, patients take an oral medicine or cream that makes the skin sensitive to UV light, then expose the skin to high UVA light, this process is called PUVA.

Treatment is required 2 times a week, for about 6-12 months, or maybe longer. But high UVA light can also have side effects such as sunburn, freckling (7)

Surgeries

Punch Grafting – Grafting for vitiligo become quite popular over the last one or two decades, especially in India.

In this surgeons transfer circular pieces or punches of skin tissue from your normal healthy skin, to the area, where the lost lost vitiligo has occurred (8).

Suction blister grafting – In this, the surgeon grows blister on your healthy skin. then the top of the blistered skin is applied to the discolored skin.

Split skin thickness grafting – In this, where surgeons transfer healthy skin tissue (that contains epidermis and a portion of the dermis), from one portion to the body to another.

Results are seen in better in young patients, color match was good with minimal complications reported (9).

Popular topical home remedies include:

• A mixture of lemon and sweet basil extract
• Ginkgo biloba pasta
• A mixture of turmeric and mustard oil (10).

Beauty Products

Make-up and other beauty products can not cure vitiligo but can hide your white patches, through matching body skin tones.

Shades can be adjusted or hidden by applying a single layer for a lighter shade or an additional layer to get a darker color (11).

Cosmetic Tips for vitiligo

• light-reflecting cosmetic ingredients are very effective for hiding or at least reducing the visual impact of white patches.
• Use oil based foundation
• Oil free facial foundation that contain oily substances such as dimethicone or cyclonmethicone.
• If you use water, then the foundations should be waterproof. because water can easily evaporate.

Potassium permanganate, indigo carmine, Bismarck brown, and henna paste are commonly used to camouflage vitiligo.

Foods

There is no specific food for vitiligo but here are some healthy diet tips. which include:

• Drinks lots of water, especially from a copper vessel, it will help you increase melanin in your body and can help in reducing the white patches.
• Papaya or papaya juice can replenish the body of melanin cells lost due to vitiligo.
• Beans, certain types of seafood like oysters, crab, are rich in zinc.
• Bananas, apples
• Leafy green vegetables such as kale
• Walnuts, at least 3 to 5 each day, because it loaded with zinc, which can stimulate the healing process.
• Eat root vegetables, such as beets, carrot, etc.
• Vitamin C food like oranges, lemon, broccoli, can also help in this.

NOTE: With a proper diet, you should also add exercise to your life, it removes free radicals in the body and stimulates the stem cells in the body.

So exercise daily for at least 1 hour.

In addition, if you don’t have patches in your legs or knee then you can do yoga and gym.

What To Avoid?

Things that you should avoid, that can trigger your vitiligo, and make them worse.

Avoiding alcohol and smoking can damage your body because there are a lot of toxins generated and free radicals, this can increase damage over melanocytes.

Don’t rub the area hard because that can increase vitiligo.

Protect your skin from the sun, so use SPF 30, wear full slives clothes, and sunglasses (12).

BOTTOM LINE

Many researchers and Scientists indicate that oxidative stress is one of the reasons for vitiligo development.

One study showed that zinc can be an effective treatment of vitiligo.

The most common reason for this disease is an autoimmune disorder, in which our immune system, attacks our color-producing cells, and causes white spots.