Medical Therapies For Vitiligo

The manifestation of vitiligo's effects on a patient's body is seen
not only through the white patches that appear but also through the
weakening of the skin's function. The occurrence of this disorder
affects the melanin content of a person's skin, thus making him more
prone to the damaging effects of the sun. The primary goal of the
treating vitiligo is to improve the person's physical appearance and
restore the important functions of the skin making him less
susceptible to even more skin damage. The first option is the medical
therapies. When started early, topical steroid therapy helps a great
deal in repigmenting the skin meaning returning the color to those
white patches that have spread around the body. Doctors advice the
patients to apply corticosteroids, which are a group of drugs that
resemble the hormones produced by the adrenal gland. Results usually
manifest after two to three months of application, taking note this is
not a therapy to cure vitiligo but a treatment that can help. Even if
it is time-consuming, psoralen photochemotherapy is proving to be one
of the most beneficial treatments for vitiligo patients. It is also
known as the psoralen and ultraviolet A therapy). Ultraviolet A (UVA)
is a type of radiation that reaches the earth's surface and cause the
skin to tan while psoralens are drugs that contain chemicals, which
react with ultraviolet light. This treatment is done by exposing the
skin to UVA light from a special lamp. This must be done careful so as
to not overexpose the skin. Patients who will undergo psoralen
photochemotherapy have two options: oral which is taking psoralen by
mouth, and topical which is done by applying the medicine to the skin.
These medical therapies for vitiligo are the most widley used in the
profession.