Treatments & Conditions
- Acne
- Allergies
- Children’s Dermatology
- Cryosurgery
- Dermatitis
- Eczema
- Folliculitis & Ingrown Hair
- Genital Issues
- Hair Loss - Female
- Hair Loss - Male
- Hyperhidrosis
- IPL
- Laser Skin Treatment
- Leg Ulcers
- Leg Veins
- Moles
- Mole Mapping
- Nail Disorders
- PDL
- PDT - Photodynamic Therapy
- Oral Disease
- Pigmentation
- Psoriasis
- Rash Diagnosis
- Rosacea
- Sexual Health
- Skin Lesions & Angiomas
- Sun Damage
- Toe Nail Fungus
- VariLite™
- Vitiligo
- Warts & Skin Tags
Vitiligo
Vitiligo causes the skin to lose colour and patches of lighter skin appear. This varies between people from a few patches to affecting much larger areas.
Vitiligo is not contagious or life-threatening but it can cause low self-esteem and serious depression. Most people have vitiligo for life, so it’s important to develop coping strategies. These can include learning about the condition and connecting with others who have vitiligo.
Treatments
Although vitiligo cannot be cured many treatments help to restore lost skin colour. These include cosmetics to add lost colour, topical medicine for small areas of skin, light treatment for wider areas and Eximer laser treatment for smaller areas resistant to vitiligo in the skin. Patients need two to three treatments per week for several weeks in order to see improvement.
We also offer phototherapy with PUVA. This involves taking regular medication (Psoralen) and having Ultra Violet A light treatment two or three times a week for a period of several months. More recent treatment includes narrowband UVB which involves a similar schedule of treatment with ultra violet light, two or three times a week for a period of some months. With UVB, no additional medication is required and exposure to the light is for much shorter periods. The UVB light source also poses less risk of skin cancer with long term treatment, but the risk is low and roughly equivalent to a two week summer holiday in Spain!
The Eximer laser treatments provide a localised high dose UVB. These can be used for some patients with localised treatment-resistant patches of vitiligo.
At Skin Care Network our Dermatologists will discuss the treatment options with you. The type of treatment will depend on your preference, overall health, age and where the vitiligo appears on your body. Some people choose not to treat vitiligo.