Leucoderma - Symptoms & Treatment

Leucoderma also known as vitiligo, is a stressful skin condition. Leucoderma is a distressful skin infection and the word Leucoderma means 'to have white skin'. There would be a measured loss of pigment called melanin from the dermal layers that results into white patches. Under this skin condition, certain parts of the skin ever more lose color leaving behind white patches. This occurs because of loss of melanin, a dark pigment which gives color to skin. It may initiate with a small patch but slowly and gradually spreads throughout the body. This is not a risky or contagious skin disease. These patches seem ugly, mainly in persons among a dark complexion.

The condition does not cause any organic injury. This disease is induced neither by any microorganisms, nor is it due to the bad blood. The disorder can arise at any age in either sex, but more in women than men on their normal skin. It should however, be illustrious that germs do not cause leucoderma nor is it because of bad blood and it is neither infectious nor contagious and hence, it cannot be transmitted from one person to another by physical contact. It is an auto-immune situation and may have a hereditary predisposition. This disease should be treat as soon as it is detected, but it can not be cured hundred percent. Treatment of vitiligo generally takes a long time. Medical treatment helps detain the spread of depigmentation and in a few cases, may bring back the pigmentation.

Causes of Leucoderma

Some causes & risk factors of Leucoderma are as follows:

• Extreme mental worry.
• Chronic or acute gastric infection can also contribute to leucoderma.
• Pressure from tight clothes or certain occupational hazards like wearing certain rubber hand-gloves, using tattoos above the skin etc.
• Heredity is as well a well-recognized causal factor.
• A flawed perspiratory mechanism.
• Burn damages.

Symptoms of Leucoderma

Some sign and symptoms related to Leucoderma are as follows:

• Enlarged local sunburns.
• Enlarging spots combine into each other and in path of time form a very wide patch.
• Premature graying etc.
• Hair on the spot also grows to be white.
• Leucoderma sometimes emerge pale, every so often red and some other times, milky white.

Treatment of Leucoderma

The treatment of leucoderma is not assured. The cure is gloomy and the medical scientists are still in search of precise cure. Commonest drug utilized is Psoralen, Melanocyl etc to be use locally followed by sun exposure. The latest relevance of Placentex is also used. Sulfur soap and salicyclic acid have also been used to liberate skin of the yeast. Oral antifungal have been utilized to care for tinea versicolor resistant to topical applications. In both topical and oral forms of treatment, however, renovation of skin color should be expected several months after yeast has been destroyed. Evasion of consumption of citrus fruits, tamarinds, fishes, lobsters, crabs and prawns is advised as part of treatment. In few cases, oral antioxidants can give constructive results.