Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Vitiligo Complications

Vitiligo is a skin disorder which produces milky white patches on skin. This skin disorder does not have any cure. The treatments that are currently available just help in re-pigmentation of the milky white patches that are produced by vitiligo. Vitiligo has several different complications; in this post I will discuss these complications so that people with vitiligo can have a better understanding of vitiligo.



As vitiligo is thought to be related with other autoimmune diseases so you may be at increased risk to other autoimmune diseases such as thyroid conditions, such as hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland), pernicious anemia (an autoimmune disease which affects your stomach), and diabetes mellitus (a chronic condition that is caused by too much sugar in the blood).


Other complications that vitiligo can have are related to the eyes and ears. You may also experience lack of pigment in parts of your eye especially in the layers of tissue that surround the outer surface of your retina, choroids or uveitis. Another problem which vitiligo can cause is the partial loss of hearing.


The major complication that vitiligo causes are not related to physical health, infact these complications are linked with the mental health. As most of the people are concerned about their appearance so this sudden change in appearance caused by vitiligo effects the mental health. Vitiligo may affect your self confidence. For dealing with these mental health problems you must consult a psychologist as he/she can help you in overcoming the psychosocial problems you are facing.


If the change in appearance caused by vitiligo has become a big problem for you then you must opt a re-pigmentation treatment so that your skin becomes uniform in color. The re-pigmentation is not permanent and touch treatments are necessary after few years. Cosmetic camouflages are also available which can help you disguise your vitiligo without dealing with underlying cause.