The disease, when white spots appear on the face and other visible areas (arms, legs), are called vitiligo. Such a violation of pigmentation can occur in people of any race, but most often young people with dark skin are exposed to it.
Causes of Vitiligo
Normally, the skin contains a brown pigment - melanin, produced by the cells staining it in
flesh color (melanocytes). When examining the skin of people who have white spots on the face, legs or arms, the absence of melanocytes is detected under a microscope. The reasons for this are still unknown, but experts identify some factors that can provoke vitiligo. These include autoimmune disorders (in which
human immunity becomes hyperactive and eliminates melanocytes), stressful situations, exposure to certain chemicals, neural and viral factors, damage to the skin during tanning, wounds on the skin.
How does vitiligo manifest
Even in childhood, vitiligo can be expressed as a halo of depigmentation surrounding the mole. That is, around a birthmark on the body, the skin becomes much lighter than it should be in normal condition. In general, signs of discoloration are primarily found in those areas of the skin that are constantly exposed to sunlight. Therefore, if a white spot appears on your face, this may very well be a symptom of vitiligo. Usually there are several such spots: they are asymmetric, with uneven edges, which is explained by the alternation of zones with a partial loss of melanin with zones of its complete absence. It also happens that white spots on the skin of the face, arms or legs appear only on one side. This condition is called segmental vitiligo. In some people, the skin is damaged only in those places where there were any injuries, such as scratches, surgical sutures.
Vitiligo Treatment
The main goal in the treatment of vitiligo is to force the body to independently produce melanin, which will neutralize white spots on the face and limbs. To do this, patients are prescribed medications that increase the sensitivity of the skin to ultraviolet radiation. Such drugs can be used both orally (taking tablets) and externally (rubbing ointments or special solutions into unpigmented skin areas). Photochemotherapy and ultraviolet irradiation of the skin can also be performed. It is possible to achieve a good result in treatment, but the therapy process will have to be repeated several times with minimal pauses between courses. In recent years, more and more experts remove white spots on the face with the help of laser therapy and photosensitizing drugs. By the way, laser therapy compared with photochemotherapy has a number of significant advantages, consisting in a shorter treatment period and the absence of side effects. In patients suffering from vitiligo, the body has a lack of copper and vitamin C, so these substances must be taken as part of medications. Immunomodulating drugs are also prescribed. Abroad, skin grafting is often used as a treatment method .