Can Vitiligo Show Repigmentation In Three Weeks Are There Chances Of Transmission Of Vitiligo From A Grandparent?

Posted on Thu, 16 Jan 2014

Question: Gd mrng,sir,,may be this is my 7 th time query to you,ill be prescise so that i get a precise answer,my 11 year old son,developed three hypopigmented patches on rt elbow,i consulted to some top dermats in my city,who said it was post inflammatory hypopigmentation,with negative fluorescence on woods lamp,and prescribed elocon and some prescribed tacrolimus,which i used for a month,but then i consulted a top dermat of 28 years experience ,from metro city,he examined and said post inflammatory hypopigmentation,and prescribed diplene af ointment with t top twice daily topical,and topical psoralen thrice weekly with sun exposure,,,,,,the spots repigmented within may be 15 days,and the treatment is still on for another week,after which i have been asked again to come,,,now my consult is,if its pih,then why tacolimus and psoralen were prescribed,can vitiligo show repigmentation in three weeks ,and what are chances of transmission of vitiligo from a grandparent ,,my mom has vituligo

Answered by Dr. Kalpana Pathak (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Details below Detailed Answer: Hi, Thanks for writing to us. I can understand your concern regarding vitiligo. But let me assure you that had it been vitiligo, wood's lamp examination would have confirmed it. Also over a period of time, vitiligo may develop at other body sites. Elbow is a friction and trauma prone area, so any injury or inflammation can commonly occur over there and may resolve with hypopigmentation. Vitiligo in most of the cases is sporadic with almost upto 10 percent showing family history. Just because your mother has vitiligo, you should not worry that any white spot in your child could be vitiligo. As far as treatment is concerned, practically any hypopigmented or depigmented lesion (whether its PIH or vitiligo to due to burn injury, chemical injury or any other cause) is treated in the same way. The initiating cause could be anything but its the melanin ( pigment) or the Melanocyte( pigment producing cell) that's destroyed. Steroids, tacrolimus, psoralen, phototherapy, growth factors etc are the treatment option available and basically all these act through inducing melanin or melanocyte So just because your child was given steroid, tacrolimus or a psoralen, it doesn't mean its vitiligo. Please do not worry unnecessarily. I can just assure that if all doctors say its PIH and not vitiligo, then please do trust their clinical skill. Its easy to differentiate between Hypopigmentation and vitiligo. Hope this helped you. Take care

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar