In Vitiligo, the special skin cells (melanocytes) as well as the tissues (mucous membranes) that line the inside of the mouth, nose, genital and rectal areas, and the retina of the eyes are destroyed. As a result, white patches of skin appear on different parts of the body. The hair may also turn white that grows in areas affected by vitiligo.

Vitiligo is a common skin disease. The incidence of Vitiligo is one in one hundred in developed countries. Male to female ratio is same. No specific ethnic tendency is seen.

Vitiligo can develop on any part of the body, at any age and in anyone. Though it is believed that exposed parts of body have higher chances of developing Vitiligo, it can appear anywhere. Color of skin does not affect the probability of getting vitiligo. Similarly, it can strike both the sexes and at any age. It is estimated that in about one-fifth of the cases, other family members may also have vitiligo. As vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder, its patients are monitored for other autoimmune diseases such as thyroid disorders, alopecia aerta, etc. You should talk to your doctor about this in detail.

Vitiligo is a non infectious disease. So it can not be stopped as such with any therapy. Response of disease varies a lot. There are not special clinical features. Vitiligo can cause severe psychological disturbance for patients, if there is face involvement. The disease more noticeable on dark skin. The course of disease is very unpredictable some people will have static condition of disease for many years but in other people it can speared rapidly in cases, the white patches can have spontaneous repigmantation. This is very rare that Vitiligo reserves completely without any treatment.

Vitiligo will also have a huge effect on the hair scalp. Usually, when it comes to hair scalp, this disease will leave white streaks or patches on hair. It will also affect the body and facial hair as well. Heredity could also be the reason for suffering this disease. In fact, over thirty percent of people suffering from this skin disorder have acquired it from their family members. Nearly 7% percent of people suffering with this disease are due to the hereditary characteristics transferred by their parents. The skin of some people with this disease is seen to have some sort of patches. Stress is also one of the major causes of Vitiligo. Some other common causes of this skin disease are like immune hypothesis, neural hypothesis, self-destruction hypothesis, genetic hypothesis etc.

Vitiligo is a skin condition affecting the body's production of melanin in the skin, which causes white patches of skin on the body. There is no known cure for vitiligo, but the symptoms may be treated using various methods.

Vitiligo (often called as leucoderma) is a disorder where the skin loses its color in patches of irregular shapes and sizes. This is a pigmentation disorder which means that melanocytes (the pigment-producing cells) in the skin get destroyed. This results in the development of white patches on the skin. The hairs which are growing in that area may lose their color and turn grey.

Vitiligo is neither rare nor common skin problem. It strikes at random and often causes great distress to its victims because it affects their general appearance. Some estimates indicate that 2% of the global population across both genders suffers from vitiligo. There are no racial or genetic differences that influence or prevent the risk of contracting vitiligo. Though there is no confirmation about any age limits it has been observed that most victims developed this problem before the age of 25

Vitiligo affects every race, it crosses the gender lines and economic status has no bearing on it. It can affect young and old alike and everyone that is affected is looking for a cure! Currently, there is no cure for vitiligo. But there are several treatments that have shown great promise in relieving the symptoms.

We know milanocytes are not properly functioning, although some of them survive both in skin and have follows in white patches. We do not know exact cause of this problem. Many theories exist, to explain damage and loss of melanin pigment, the most popular is autoimmune theory which means our bodys own immune system is having antibodies against pigment cells.

Vitiligo, a condition in which the skin turns white due to the loss of melanocytes. These cells produce melanin, the pigment that gives the skin its characteristic color. (Melanocytes also impart color to the retina of the eye and the mucous membrane tissues lining the inside of the mouth, nose, genital and rectal areas). In vitiligo, the Melanocytes some are self-destroyed in different parts of body, the result is white patches on these parts. The hair that grows in areas affected by vitiligo may also turn white.

Another theory tells us that genes play an important role in Vitiligo. It has been noticed in people with autoimmune diseases like thyroid disease. Also in people who have family members that suffered from Vitiligo. This theory also further strengthens the autoimmune theory.

Herbal treatments have been used for centuries for treating vitiligo. Herbal treatments general involve a comprehensive treatment not only of the symptoms, but of suspected underlying causes. For example, a typical Chinese herbal treatment would address the symptoms of vitiligo with a topical, but it would also attempt to address underlying causes, such as the immune system, digestive system, liver, kidneys, and chi.

Vitiligo and Graves Disease are not always associated with each other, however, it is always best to ensure if the vitiligo is already a sign that you are suffering from hyperthyroidism or commonly known as Graves Disease.

PUVA treatment (8-methoxypsoralen, 5-methoxypsoralen, trimethylpsoralen plus UVA) was often the most practical choice for treatment, especially in widespread vitiligo in patients.Patients who have small areas of vitiligo with stable activity are candidates for surgical transplants.Punch biopsy specimens from a pigmented donor site are transplanted into depigmented sites. Topical steroid therapy steroid creams may be helpful in repigmenting (returning the color to) white patches, particularly if they are applied in the initial stages of the disease. Psoralen photochemotherapy—also known as psoralen and ultraviolet this is probably the most effective treatment for vitiligo available in the United States. .Depigmentation treatment involves fading the rest of the skin on the body to match the areas that are already white. For people who have vitiligo on more than 50 percent of their bodies, depigmentation may be the best treatment option. .Immunomodulator creams such as Protopic and Elidel also cause repigmentat on in some cases, when used with UVB Narrowband treatments.

The choice of treatment depends on the severity of the condition as well as patient preference, and is aimed at restoring the pigmentation. If the area is small enough, tattooing is sometimes used to add color back to the skin. Other situations may require skin grafting if the area affected is small enough.