Vitiligo

The term vitiligo refers to loss of pigment of the skin through an immunologically driven mechanism.

There are many hypotheses explaining why some people get vitiligo which is though to be mediated by an auto immune process-meaning the pigment producing cells ‘melanocytes’ are under attack from the body’s own immune system.

Treatment depends on the extent of vitiligo, patient’s age and availability of treatment. Treatment options are:

• Topical steroids
• Immunomodulator creams
• Excimer lamp treatment
• Melanocyte transfer-Renovacell — this treatment is not available in the UK anymore.