About vitiligo capitis

What is vitiligo capitis?

Alopecia areata is a disorder characterized by loss of hair. Sometimes, this means simply a few bare patches on the scalp. In other cases, hair loss is more extensive. Although the exact cause is not known, this is thought to be an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system, the body's own defense system, mistakenly attacks the hair follicles, the tiny structures from which hairs grow. Unpredictable hair loss is the only noticeable symptom of this disorder. Regrowth of hair may or may not occur. Hair loss is usually confined to the head and face, although the entire body may be involved.

What are the symptoms for vitiligo capitis?

Premature whitening or graying of the hair on your scalp symptom was found in the vitiligo capitis condition

Vitiligo can start at any age, but usually appears before age 30.

Depending on the type of vitiligo you have, it may affect:

  • Nearly all skin surfaces. With this type, called universal vitiligo, the discoloration affects nearly all skin surfaces.
  • Many parts of the body. With this most common type, called generalized vitiligo, the discolored patches often progress similarly on corresponding body parts (symmetrically).
  • Only one side or part of the body. This type, called segmental vitiligo, tends to occur at a younger age, progress for a year or two, then stop.
  • One or only a few areas of the body. This type is called localized (focal) vitiligo.
  • The face and hands. With this type, called acrofacial vitiligo, the affected skin is on the face and hands, and around body openings, such as the eyes, nose and ears.

It's difficult to predict how this disease will progress. Sometimes the patches stop forming without treatment. In most cases, pigment loss spreads and eventually involves most of the skin. Occasionally, the skin gets its color back.

What are the causes for vitiligo capitis?

Skin layers and melanin 

Melanin is a natural pigment that gives your skin its color. It's produced in cells called melanocytes.

Vitiligo occurs when pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) die or stop producing melanin — the pigment that gives your skin, hair and eyes color. The involved patches of skin become lighter or white. It's unclear exactly what causes these pigment cells to fail or die. It may be related to:

  • A disorder of the immune system (autoimmune condition)
  • Family history (heredity)
  • A trigger event, such as stress, severe sunburn or skin trauma, such as contact with a chemical

What are the treatments for vitiligo capitis?

The choice of treatment depends on your age, how much skin is involved and where, how quickly the disease is progressing, and how it's affecting your life.

Medications and light-based therapies are available to help restore skin color or even out skin tone, though results vary and are unpredictable. And some treatments have serious side effects. So your health care provider might suggest that you first try changing the appearance of your skin by applying a self-tanning product or makeup.

If you and your health care provider decide to treat your condition with a drug, surgery or therapy, the process may take many months to judge its effectiveness. And you may have to try more than one approach or a combination of approaches before you find the treatment that works best for you.

Even if treatment is successful for a while, the results may not last or new patches may appear. Your health care provider might recommend a medication applied to the skin as maintenance therapy to help prevent relapse.

Medications

No drug can stop the process of vitiligo — the loss of pigment cells (melanocytes). But some drugs, used alone, in combination or with light therapy, can help restore some color.

  • Drugs that control inflammation. Applying a corticosteroid cream to affected skin might return color. This is most effective when vitiligo is still in its early stages. This type of cream is effective and easy to use, but you might not see changes in your skin's color for several months. Possible side effects include skin thinning or the appearance of streaks or lines on your skin.

    Milder forms of the drug may be prescribed for children and for people who have large areas of discolored skin.

    Corticosteroid pills or injections might be an option for people whose condition is progressing rapidly.

  • Medications that affect the immune system. Calcineurin inhibitor ointments, such as tacrolimus (Protopic) or pimecrolimus (Elidel) might be effective for people with small areas of depigmentation, especially on the face and neck. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned about a possible link between these drugs and lymphoma and skin cancer.

Therapies

  • Light therapy. Phototherapy with narrow band ultraviolet B (UVB) has been shown to stop or slow the progression of active vitiligo. It might be more effective when used with corticosteroids or calcineurin inhibitors. You'll need therapy two to three times a week. It could take 1 to 3 months before you notice any change, and it could take 6 months or longer to get the full effect.

    Given the FDA warning regarding possible risk of skin cancer with use of calcineurin inhibitors, talk with your health care provider about the risks and benefits of using these drugs with phototherapy.

    For people who can't go to a clinic for treatment, smaller portable or handheld devices for narrow band ultraviolet B therapy are available for home use. Talk with your health care provider about this option as well if needed.

    Possible side effects of narrow band ultraviolet B therapy include redness, itching and burning. These side effects usually clear up within a few hours after treatment.

  • Combining psoralen and light therapy. This treatment combines a plant-derived substance called psoralen with light therapy (photochemotherapy) to return color to the light patches. After you take psoralen by mouth or apply it to the affected skin, you're exposed to ultraviolet A (UVA) light. This approach, while effective, is more difficult to administer and has been replaced in many practices by narrow band UVB therapy.
  • Removing the remaining color (depigmentation). This therapy may be an option if your vitiligo is widespread and other treatments haven't worked. A depigmenting agent is applied to unaffected areas of skin. This gradually lightens the skin so that it blends with the discolored areas. The therapy is done once or twice a day for nine months or longer.

    Side effects can include redness, swelling, itching and very dry skin. Depigmentation is permanent.

Surgery

If light therapy and medications haven't worked, some people with stable disease may be candidates for surgery. The following techniques are intended to even out skin tone by restoring color:

  • Skin grafting. In this procedure, your doctor transfers very small sections of your healthy, pigmented skin to areas that have lost pigment. This procedure is sometimes used if you have small patches of vitiligo.

    Possible risks include infection, scarring, a cobblestone appearance, spotty color and failure of the area to recolor.

  • Blister grafting. In this procedure, your doctor creates blisters on your pigmented skin, usually with suction, and then transplants the tops of the blisters to discolored skin.

    Possible risks include scarring, a cobblestone appearance and failure of the area to recolor. And the skin damage caused by suctioning may trigger another patch of vitiligo.

  • Cellular suspension transplant. In this procedure, your doctor takes some tissue on your pigmented skin, puts the cells into a solution and then transplants them onto the prepared affected area. The results of this repigmentation procedure start showing up within four weeks.

    Possible risks include scarring, infection and uneven skin tone.

Potential future treatments

Treatments being studied include:

  • A drug to stimulate color-producing cells (melanocytes). Called afamelanotide, this potential treatment is implanted under the skin to promote the growth of melanocytes.
  • A drug that helps control melanoctyes. Prostaglandin E2 is being tested as a way to restore skin color in people with vitiligo that isn't widespread or spreading. It's applied to the skin as a gel.

What are the risk factors for vitiligo capitis?

It may be related to:

  • A disorder of the immune system (autoimmune condition)
  • Family history (heredity)
  • A trigger event, such as stress, severe sunburn or skin trauma, such as contact with a chemical

Is there a cure/medications for vitiligo capitis?

Vitiligo Capitis is a condition that results in patchy loss of skin pigment. With time, the discoloured spots typically enlarge. Any portion of the body's skin might be impacted by the illness. The tongue and hair can both be impacted by it.

Treatment or Cure available for the Vitiligo Capitis condition

  • The type of treatment you receive will depend on your age, the location and amount of skin affected by the disease, how quickly it is progressing, and how it is impacting your life.
  • The loss of pigment cells that occurs in Vitiligo Capitis cannot be stopped by medication (melanocytes). However, several medications can help restore some colour when used alone, in combination, or in addition to light therapy.


Medication to reduce the inflammation

  • A corticosteroid cream can possibly restore colour to the afflicted skin. When Vitiligo Capitis is still in its early stages, this is most beneficial.
  • Although this kind of cream is efficient and simple to use, it can take several months before you notice any changes in the colour of your skin.
  • Skin thinning or the formation of wrinkles or streaks on your skin are examples of potential adverse effects.
  • Children and people with significant regions of discoloured skin may be administered milder versions of the medication.
  • For those whose condition is deteriorating quickly, corticosteroid pills or injections may be an option.


Immune system-affecting medications

  • People with minor patches of depigmentation, particularly on the face and neck, may find relief from calcineurin inhibitor ointments such tacrolimus (Protopic) or pimecrolimus (Elidel).
  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning on a potential connection between these medications and skin cancer and lymphoma.


Symptoms
Patchy loss of skin color,Premature whitening or graying of the hair on your scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows or beard,Loss of color in the tissues that line the inside of the mouth and nose (mucous membranes)
Conditions
Sunburn,Eye problems,Hearing loss
Drugs
Corticosteroid cream, Corticosteroid pills or injections,Calcineurin inhibitor ointments such tacrolimus (Protopic) or pimecrolimus (Elidel)

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