Monthly Archives: August 2010

Vitiligo

Pityriasis Alba and Vitiligo

August 28, 2010 – 10:15 am

Pityriasis Alba is a common skin disease now a day. It is also known as

pityriasis-alba

pityriasis-alba

“Pityriasis streptogenes” or “Pityriasis simplex”. As the name indicated for this, “Pityriasis” is so named for “the fine scaly appearance” while “Alba” means “White”. In this disease, as a result of depigmentation as well as hypo pigmentation, dry, scaly and pale spots or lesions appear occasionally on the body parts, especially cheeks are the most common sites. In winter because of dry weather, these white spots are more frequently seen on the skin. The size of lesions may range from ½cm to 20cm. It is a non-cancerous disease.

Pityriasis Alba is a self-limited, chronic and asymptomatic disease. It is caused by sub-normal activity of melanocytes to some melanosomes. It can be found in people of all races but mostly, dark skinned children of about 3 to 16 years become victim of this disease.90% of this skin disease occur in 12 years old children. It is more prevalent in males than females. It is said to be a mild form of Dermatitis.In Pityriasis Alba, patients may progress through following three clinical stages:

•    Papular erythematous lesions
•    Papular hypochromic lesions
•    Smooth hypochromic lesions

In short, these lesions first appear red and raised, then red color fades and turn pale. After this, these lesions become pale, flat and smooth.

Although the exact cause of Pityriasis Alba is no yet described but the factors that promote this skin disease are:-
•    Heat and Humidity
•    High Scented Soaps
•    Abrasive Clothing

•    Smoke and Stress

It has to be noted that it usually lasts for one year or more without treatment and it resolves after puberty. But sometimes it may persist for two or three years. So, no treatment is required but a moisturizing cream, lotions, and hydrocortisone etc may be helpful for dryness of skin and can smooth the process of healing. In case of itchy or red patches, a mild topical cream or Pimecromilus cream may make the patches to go away faster. In very severe cases of Pityriasis Alba, local psoralens therapy with or without laser may also reported to be effective.

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Vitiligo

Idiopathic Guttate Hypomelanosis and Vitiligo

August 26, 2010 – 12:44 pm

Idiopathic Guttate Hypomelanosis (IGH) is a common skin disorder which

medical

medical

isseen far more frequently in middle-aged and light skinned females than males. It is also known as “Leukopathia symmetrica progressiva”. It is a benign, harmless condition of depigmentation.

Just like other skin diseases, also in this disease white macules are formed. These macules are small in size ranging from 2 to 5mm, and may be flat, discrete, mild scaly, circular or oval in shape. These macules mostly occur on the body parts that are exposed to sunlight. Usually, they first appear on the front of legs below the knees and then on forearms but they also affect shoulders, chest and face and upper part of the back.
The cause of IGH is speculative. However, it is caused due to the defect of epidermal melanin, reduced no. of melanocytes or in some cases melanocytes (skin cells) fail to produce melanin pigment. In this way overall thickness of skin is also become condensed. Hence, results in Idiopathic Guttate Hypomelanosis. So, depigmentation of guttate hypomelanosis is also important so that it may not be mistaken for Vitiligo which occurs as a result of abnormal pigmentation.

Although, the exact cause of IGM is not known but it has been experienced that UV light also plays an important role. It is thought to be that it also depends upon aging process. In some cases, this disorder seems to be run in families with genetic tendency.

The treatment of IGA is very difficult as it may sometimes leave a residue which may cause a severe problem than the original. So, only in the cases of cosmetic or emotional reasons, treatment may be necessary. Precautionary measures may be helpful to lessen this disorder just like the protection from sun is important because exposure to sunlight is a causative factor for IGM.

Generally, Camouflage make-up can be used to cover the lesions. Following factors can also be introduced to find out the solution:-
•    Surgical and semi-surgical correction
•    Topical Steroids
•    Topical Retinoid
•    Minigrafting
•    Cryotherapy
•    Tretinoin Cream
•    Dermabrasion etc.

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Vitiligo

Nevus depigmentosus and Vitiligo

August 25, 2010 – 11:26 am

Nevus depigmentosus was first time introduced by Lesser in 1884. As the

rsz_nevus_depigmentosus

rsz_nevus_depigmentosus

name indicated “Nevus is a Latin word which means “chronic lesions of skin” and “depigmentosus” means “loss of pigment”. So, it is a chronic skin disease which causes depigmentation. It is also known as Nevus achromicus. It is quite different from vitiligo.  It attacks on skin in the form of white patches or lesions which are localized, benign, hypopigmented (may cause loss of skin color) and stable. Size of these patches grows with the growth of body.

Mainly, ages of individuals don’t concern with this disease but it has been observed that about 19 percent of Nevus depigmentosus affects the babies at their birth. This disease may affect any area of human body, trunk, legs and hands. But the chest, buttocks and the back are most common sites of affliction.  Although patients with Nevus Depigmentosus lead a happy life but they may suffer from neurological abnormalities like seizures, mental retardation etc.

Nevus Depigmentosus is caused due to the deficiency of Melanin Pigment, which is responsible for the color of skin and as a result characteristic white spots form on the body. It may also be caused when melanocytes fail to perform their proper function. Melanocytes, cells which produce melanin pigment are found in the bottom layer of epidermis of skin. According to a latest research, it is concluded that Nevus depigmentosus results from the functional defects of melanocytes as well as due to the morphological abnormalities of melanosomes.

There is also the danger of severe sunburn for the patients of Nevus Depigmentosus on the affected areas on prolonged exposure to skin. Dermatologists are trying their best to find out the proper cause of this skin disease but histopathologic characters of Nevus depigmentosus are not yet fully discovered. It has been also experienced that Nevus Depigmentosus has not to be difficult to differentiate from vitiligo in which complete loss of pigment with the absence of melanocytes occurs.

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Vitiligo

Diseases like Vitiligo

August 24, 2010 – 10:22 am

Vitiligo is a chronic disease which causes depigmentation of skin in the form

disease-like-vitiligo

disease-like-vitiligo

of white patches. Vitiligo occurs when melanocytes that are responsible for skin pigmentation, die or unable to perform their function. Segmented vitiligo is a common form of vitiligo. Vitiligo has some confusion with other diseases like nevus depigmentosus, white scars and hypopigmentation, pityriases Alba, idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis and pigmentation.

Nevus depigmentosus is a stable disease which is limited to a small area. It appears in the form of white spots on body. It increases as the growth of body increases. The main cause of this disease is the irregularity in the function of melanocytes which produce little pigments. White scars  and hypopigmentation is another skin disease which looks like vitiligo. In this disease scars appear due to injury. Scars may be white or colored; it depends on type of injury. Scars can be a result of physical, chemical or inflammatory as acne.  Melanocytes may destroy or damage due to  injury. Therefore white scars and hypopigmentation occurs.

Pityriases Alba is also a skin disease which is frequently present in children. It mostly comes into views in dry weather and the people having dry skin. It generally appears as dry scales, pale patches on the face. Pityriases Alba can be treated by moisturizing cream. Normally, boys are affected by this disease. It takes place due to activity of melanocytes abnormally low.  Idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis has also confusion with vitiligo.

Generally, women suffer from this disease. It appears in the form of round shape on skin. Parts of body having exposure of sun light, experience idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis like face, forearms, shoulders. A medical treatment that involves removal of damage tissues and cells known as biopsies is used to treat that problem but as a result thickness of skin reduces. Protection from the sun is very important in this disease. It is commonly observed in people having fair complexion.

Pigmentation is a phenomenon of coloring. .Pigment means color. In biological term it means “a material that give color to the cells of human beings, animals and plants’’. It determines the color of eyes, hair and skin. Many conditions can change the level of pigment. Sometimes level of pigments increases due to excessive tanning and pregnancy known as hyper pigmentation. Sometimes level of pigment decreases known as hypopigmentation due to vitiligo, leprosy, albinism and many others.

Diseases like vitiligo have little existence but vitiligo is most common now. Vitiligo does not damage the health. But it destroys the personality badly and creates psychological problems. It can come out in any age, race and in any gender.

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Treatment

Is Indoor Tanning Addictive?

August 18, 2010 – 9:19 am

Is indoor tanning addictive? To find out the answer of this question,

tanning-bed

tanning-bed

aresearch is conducted in New York. A questionnaire base research has been held which resulting that indoor tanning may addict the young people. Indoor tanning bed may also prone anxiety and substance abuse (a drug which is used to change the mood) problem. Actually, indoor tanning bed provides the same ultraviolet rays that are emitted from sun and you can control the rays according to your need. As we knowvery well, there is no alternative of natural thing. Many vitiligo patients also use indoor tanning along with psoralins.

421 college students of northeastern United States were assigned a task to complete a questionnaire about indoor tanning habits, anxiety, substance abuse problem and demographics. The results were not favorable because 30.6% students met mCAGE that stands for cut down, annoyed, guilty and eye opener. 23 indoor tanning sessions also conducted in the last year. Both groups were more tanned than those who were not tanning addictive. Indoor tanning addict usually experience anxiety and mood disorder. They use alcohol and marijuana to calm themselves.

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