Vitiligo is a pigment disorder in which white patches suddenly develop on the skin, and spread extensively on the face and body. While the disease is not life threatening, it does have an immense emotional impact, and can be very devastating for those who suffer from it. Since the condition is so difficult to deal with, those who have it are always searching for effective vitiligo treatments.
Skin tone is generally quite even, and this can be traced to the melanin in the skin. The melanin which gives skin its color is produced by the melanocytesfoundin the dermal layer of the skin. For patients with vitiligo, an auto immune response in the body attacks and kills the melanocytes, and when this happens,no dark pigment is produced, causing white patches toappear on the skin.
Vitiligo Treatments
Vitiligo has traditionally been treated with creams that are able to re-pigment some of the affected areas. However despite this and other attempts at treatment, vitiligo remains an incurable condition, and patients continue to be plagued by the symptoms.
However, it is now possible to recolor the skin using narrow band UVB phototherapy. Narrowband UVB phototherapy is a wavelength of ultraviolet radiation within a specific band of 311nm to 312nm. UVB phototherapy is used to successfully treat a number of skin conditions including psoriasis, vitiligo, and atopic eczema.
UVB phototherapy is one of the most effective vitiligo treatments, however it must be carefully applied so as not to burn the white patches of skin. It typically takes several months to see some improvement in the appearance of the skin.
At the Skin Care Center in Illinois, they offer UVB phototherapy for the treatment of vitiligo. The Skin Care Center has 3 locations – Chicago, Lake Forrest, and Glenville, IL. You can schedule an appointment online at http://www.skincarectr.com/request-an-appointment-pages-20.php, to find out more.