Hi,
Thank you for asking and welcome to HCM,
Vitiligo is a disease which affects your skin of any part of your body that causes the loss of skin colour( those white patches that you refered to me). The production of melanine determines the colour of you skin (also eyes and hair). So, vitiligo occurs when the cells that produce melanin die or stop functioning.
Vitiligo signs include discoloration of the skin in many parts of the body, only one part of it, or only a few areas of your body. In most cases, pigment loss involves most of your skin. Rarely, the skin gets its color back.
The real cause it's not known why the cells fail or die, but it may be related to: a disorder in which your immune system attacks and destroys the melanocytes in the skin, a family history ( maybe it is hereditary) or the exposure to sunburn, stress or to industrial chemicals.
Unfortunately, treatment for vitiligo may improve the appearance of the affected skin, may help to slow the discoloring process but does not cure the disease. Here are some treatments:
1.A topical corticosteroid may help return color to your skin, particularly if it is used in the early stage of the disease.
2.Topical
calcipotriene is a cream that can be used with
corticosteroids or ultraviolet light
3.Ointments containing tacrolimus or
pimecrolimus (calcineurin inhibitors) that affect the immune system.This treatment may have fewer side effects than corticosteroids and can be used with ultraviolet B (UVB) light( be careful because these treatments are suspected to cause cancer of the skin)
4.Psoralen sometimes is combined with
light therapy (
photochemotherapy) to return color to the light patches
5.Light therapy (doesn't require psoralen and it affects face, neck and limbs and maybe it will be the best choice for you if these treatments that you are taken does not work.)
6.
laser therapy should be considered too, but first you should consult to your
dermatologist.
So, I suggest you to keep in touch with your dermatologist to see how your disease will procede and your improvements.
Hope this is helpful to you
Dr. Ermira Biu