Vitiligo
March 1997
in “
Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery
”
TLDR Vitiligo causes white skin patches but can be treated in many ways.
Vitiligo involved a progressive loss of melanocytes, leading to milky-white patches on the skin, particularly noticeable in dark-skinned individuals. The disease had various clinical subtypes, reflecting diverse causative factors, and required differentiation from other melanocyte disorders for appropriate treatment. Hypotheses suggested an inherited tendency and vulnerability of melanocytes to external factors. Treatments included phototherapy, topical corticosteroids, skin transplantation, micropigmentation, and camouflage, with depigmentation as an option for extensive cases. Despite its cosmetic impact, vitiligo was treatable through multiple methods.
