What is vitiligo and how does it manifest itself?
Vitiligo is a disorder characterised by the appearance of white patches on the skin due to a lack of melanin, the pigment that gives our skin its colour. It affects approximately 1% of the population and can develop in both men and women of any race. It usually appears before the age of 30, although in reality it can appear at any time, before and after this age.
These spots can be located anywhere on the body, although the most common areas are: the area around the eyes or mouth, the armpits, elbows, wrists, hands, fingers, knees and, in general, any area where the skin is subjected to repeated rubbing by clothing or everyday objects, such as pendants, braces, necklaces, belts, waistbands, straps, elastics...
The exact causes of vitiligo are unknown, although it is generally accepted that it is an autoimmune disorder with a certain genetic predisposition to develop it. Although it is not serious or life-threatening, it can seriously affect the patient´s self-esteem and emotional health, making interpersonal, emotional and work relationships difficult. In fact, patients with vitiligo have higher rates of depression and anxiety than the rest of the healthy population.
How is vitiligo treated?
For now, vitiligo has no cure, although there are pharmacological treatments to try to repigment the white areas, such as corticoids, immunomodulators, phototherapy or surgery based on melanocyte micrografting.
Currently, there are several lines of research with anti-JAK drugs, molecules that could selectively block the activity of immune cells that destroy melanocytes. These treatments are giving great results in skin pathologies of an inflammatory and/or autoimmune nature, such as atopic dermatitis or alopecia areata, among others.
