Important causes of (Vitiligo) Vitiligo is a chronic skin disease that affects the patient psychologically, and the disease appears in the form of white spots of different sizes .. On this topic we met with Dr. Ahmed Al-Issa, consultant medicine and skin surgery and laser therapy, who conducted more From thirty-five operations in which the success rate exceeded 80%, where he defined the disease at the beginning of his speech as white "discolored" skin patches that appear in various parts of the body and the white color in them is due to the loss of pigment cells of the skin that secrete melanin, which gives the skin its color.
Rates are high
Regarding the prevalence of vitiligo in the Kingdom, Dr.Ahmed said that our personal observations indicate that the prevalence of vitiligo is higher than its global rates due to several factors, including the genetic factor and the marriage of relatives, and there is a project being prepared to conduct a field statistical survey to determine the extent of the spread of this disease in preparation for developing the necessary plans to limit its spread and find ways To cure.
Regarding if this disease is contagious, Dr. Al-Issa stressed that vitiligo is a non-contagious disease at all, despite the belief of people otherwise, and there is a confusion between vitiligo, leprosy and leprosy, because both diseases appear in the form of white spots on the skin. However, leprosy is an infectious and dangerous disease as it may It leads to deformities in the body and eyes.
Types of treatment
Dr. Al-Issa pointed out that treatment methods varied for this disease, and despite its safety, the fact that the patient does not complain of any symptoms such as coughing or pain, the psychological repercussions of the disease and its social repercussions are what bother the patient.
Surgery is a good and effective treatment for the disease and has several types, such as punch graft and blister graft surgery. The most important and advanced is the method of autologous melanocyte transplantation.
Regarding the latest treatment methods, Dr. Al-Issa said regarding fixed and non-invasive vitiligo, there is a modern method that is taking place in very limited areas in the world, which is autologous melanocyte transplantation, and this method depends on extracting pigment cells from a healthy area of the patient''s skin and implanting them in the areas of vitiligo in a way that ensures their multiplication for repigmentation In areas of vitiligo, the advantage of this process is that every "1 cm" of healthy skin can donate pigment cells that can cover "10 cm", or ten times the area of vitiligo, and this is what makes the operation useful.
Regarding the period of time that the operation takes, Dr. Ahmed says: Usually the process of autologous melanocyte transplantation takes about an hour and a half, during which the patient is fully conscious and does not require general anesthesia except in some children.
He explained that the repigmentation usually begins 3-4 weeks after the operation and continues for five months until the complete pigmentation is complete, and the success rates achieved by this operation reach 80%.
Dr. Al-Issa noted the importance of using sunscreen for Vitiligo patients whenever they are out or exposed to the sun, even if only for one minute, because this protects against burns on vitiligo spots.
Also, the patient should protect from darkening of healthy areas and thus reduce the color difference between them and the spots of vitiligo, and indicated the presence of new and advanced types of medical make-up that Vitiligo patients use to hide the visible vitiligo spots so that they are not affected by moisture or water, and can stay on the skin for 24 hours At the very least, it''s important to help Vitiligo sufferers regain their confidence....
