How do I hide Vitiligo

Vitiligo

Vitiligo is known as a skin disease that occurs as a result of the death or disturbance of the work of the pigment-producing cells responsible for the color of the skin and hair, known as melanin, which leads to the appearance of patches of skin that are not colored by its natural color. ^[1]

How do I hide vitiligo?

A patient with Vitiligo is advised to follow some methods to improve the appearance of the affected skin, ^[2] and among these methods are the following:

Hide the color of the skin affected by Vitiligo

A number of methods can be tried that help to hide the color of the skin affected by vitiligo, including the following:

• Cosmetic cosmetics: where there are special preparations that help to hide vitiligo and reduce the difference between the color of vitiligo spots and the color of the original skin, and these products are known as skin camouflage, which are creams that have colors applied to the affected skin to unify its color with the rest of the healthy skin. Experimenting with several varieties to determine the most appropriate option for skin color, so that the color of the product is close to the original skin color, and most of these preparations are water-resistant, and it was found that with the continued use of these preparations, the patient gets an appearance close to the natural view of the skin, and the products can be applied all over the body, where They remain on the body for up to four days, and on the face for a period ranging between 12-18 hours, and it is worth noting that there are some of these preparations that contain sunscreen formulations or have a certain amount of sun protection factor. ^[3]
• Self-tanning products and dyes: In the event that the patient wants to use a product that lasts longer than cosmetic products, it is recommended to use self-tanning products or dyes, as it is advised to choose self-tanning products that contain a dihydroxyacetone formula, which was approved by the administration The American Food and Drug Administration, noting that self-tanning products are not washed with water, and their effect gradually disappears within several days, and it is worth noting that dyes are the best products in hiding white spots. ^{[4] [5]}

Protect the skin from exposure to sunlight

Exposure of the skin affected by vitiligo to sunlight leads to easy occurrence of sunburn and worsening of the spots of vitiligo, so it is recommended that the patient of vitiligo take the necessary measures to protect from direct exposure to sunlight, and sun burns appear in the form of colored spots on the skin, especially after undergoing the procedure to remove skin color from areas Not affected by Vitiligo (as one of the options available for treating Vitiligo), which requires re-depigmentation procedure again to obtain a natural appearance of the skin, and it is important to protect the skin from exposure to the sun, especially for people with white skin, in which the spots of vitiligo do not appear clearly, and from The advice that is given to a patient with Vitiligo in order to protect the skin from sun damage include the following: ^[4]

• Use of sunscreens : Sunscreens help protect the skin from the sun's rays, and you should pay attention to the following things regarding sunscreen:
  • Apply sunscreen every day to the skin that is not covered by clothes, and reapply it every two hours, especially when spending times outside the home, and it is recommended to renew it when sweating and after spending time in the water.
  • Apply sunscreen to the skin at least 15 minutes before sun exposure.
  • Choose a waterproof condom, the Sun Protection Factor (SPF) thirty or more.
  • Ensure that there is a broad spectrum on the sunscreen package, in order to infer that the sunscreen provides protection from ultraviolet rays with its types A and B.
• Avoid bright sunlight: and hide in the shade as much as possible, at a time when the person’s shadow is shorter than his length, as the sun’s rays at this time of day are harmful to the skin to a large degree and cause sunburn .
• Wearing appropriate clothes: The clothes have a role in protecting from the sun's rays, and it is worth noting that each type of clothing has a certain value for the sun protection factor, and the color also plays a role in determining the value of this factor, as the sun protection factor for the green short-sleeve shirt is 10, While the amount of sun protection factor for the white short-sleeve shirt is 7, and the amount of sun protection factor for the long-sleeved jeans shirt is 1700, and it is indicated that some products can increase the sun protection factor of the clothes, as they can be added to the clothes while they are washed in the washing machine, and the sun protection factor remains for the clothes As high as about twenty times of washing it.
• Avoid exposure to artificial sunbathing: It is advised to stay away from sunlamps and tanning beds that aim to change the color of the skin to darken, because it causes special burns to the skin affected by Vitiligo.

Avoid tattoos

A tattoo may accompany the appearance of new spots of Vitiligo within two weeks of drawing it, because it causes damage to the skin, and thus it is advised that the Vitiligo patient should avoid tattooing . ^[2]

Vitiligo treatment

There are several ways to control vitiligo, including: repigmentation, to restore skin color to areas affected by vitiligo, and among the available treatment options is what is known as depigmentation. It aims to remove the color of the skin from the uninfected areas, thus showing the entire skin in one color and appearance as consistent as possible. ^[6] The choice of the appropriate treatment method for a vitiligo patient depends on the age, the area of ​​the vitiligo spots, and the extent of the influence of vitiligo on the person’s psyche, and up to the present time no There is a cure for Vitiligo, as well as there is no way to prevent its occurrence, but some treatments are used to control Vitiligo, such as: ^[7]

• Corticosteroids: A cream that contains a corticosteroid is applied to the affected spots, with the aim of restoring the natural color of the skin, and the effect of this treatment method is slow, as the result takes several months to appear.
• Light: Treatment , which aims to prevent the progress of vitiligo or slow him down, used this therapeutic method UV type A along with psoralen.
• Skin grafts: The doctor uses this technique as the last option for treatment, especially if the area of ​​vitiligo spots is small, as the doctor performs a surgery that involves transferring parts of healthy skin and covering the spots affected by vitiligo.

References

1. ↑ "Vitiligo , www.middlesexhealth.org , Retrieved 26-9-2020. Edited.
2. ^ ^{A b} "Vitiligo , Www.nchmd.org , Retrieved 26-9-2020. Edited by .
3. ↑ "Vitiligo , www.your.md , Retrieved 26-9-2020. Edited.
4. ^ ^{A b} "VITILIGO: the FOR MANAGING TIPS , Www.aad.org , Retrieved 26-9-2020. Edited by .
5. ↑ "Vitiligo , www.mayoclinic.org , Retrieved 26-9-2020.
6. ↑ “Vitiligo: Management and Treatment , www.my.clevelandclinic.org , Retrieved 9-26-2020.
7. ↑ , “Vitiligo and Loss of Skin Color , www.webmd.com , Retrieved 9-26-2020.