What is Vitiligo

 

Vitiligo likely meaning blemish is a non contagious skin condition that is defined by patches of Discoloration or deep pigmentation. The vitiligo can affect any race or ethnicity. It tends to be more noticeable in people with darker skin Like Canadian fashion model Winnie Harlow. 

Given the effect on a person's appearance, pigment loss can really impact a person's quality of life. Which is made of a single layer of small cuboido to low column stem cells that continually divide and produce new caratinosites They continue to mature is they migrate up through the epidermal layers but the straighten baseley also contains another group of cells Melanosites which secrete the protein pigment or coloring substance called melanin Melanin is actually a broad term that constitutes several types of melanin found in people of differing skin color.

The skin is divided into three layers the epidermis dermis and hypodermis The hypodermist is made of fat and connective tissue that anchors the skin to the underlying muscle Just above is the dermis which contains hair follicles, nerves, and blood vessels and just above that the outer most layer of skin is the epidermis. The epidermis itself has multiple cell layers that are mostly caratinosites which are named for the keratin protein that they're filled with. Keratin is a strong fibers protein that allows caratinocytes to protect themselves from getting destroyed when you rub your hands through the sand at the beach Current assights start their life at the deepest layer of the epidermis called the straight and baseley or basil layer.

These sub types of melanin range in color from black to redish. To reddish yellow and their relative quantity and rate at which their metabolised define a person's skin color When karate sites are exposed to the sun they send a chemical signal to the melanosites which stimulates the melanosites into making more melanin The melanosites move the melanin into small sax called malanosomes and these get taken up by newly formed caratinocytes Which will later metabolize the melanin as they migrate into higher layers of the epidermis melanin then axes in natural sunscreen.

Because it's protein structure dissipates or scatters the UVB light which if left unchecked can damage the DNA in the skin cells inly to skin cancer. Melanice can also be found in the dermis at the base of the hair follicle And in the eye where the help color hair and the iris respectively. There's a loss of melanocytes or the absence of their function. Histologically having less melanin in the epidermis result in white deep pigmented patches these patches are classified by type There's nonsegmental vitiligo which is the more common type that affects any age group. And it occurs at various locations that are mirrored on both sides of the body.

There's also segmental vitiligo which mostly affects children And occurs in segments along a single spinal nerve typically only on one side of the body without crossing the midline The exact cause of melanocyte destruction isn't known But it does seem to be linked to both genetic and environmental triggers. In non-segmental vitilgo there seems to be an autoimmune element where immune cells attack the melanosites. Insegmental vitiligo there seemed to be neural factors. Where nerves released neurochemicals that damage the melanocytes. 

Other causes maybe that the melanosites get damaged by a build up of toxic metabolites Is they make melanin or in other metabolic pathways one interesting observation is called the cubner phenomenon. And that's when Vitiligo develops in skin soon after there's been a trauma like a cut abrasion or burn The main symptom of it a ligo is the irregular round or oval shaped patches of depigmentation appearing within normally pigmented skin The patches can range in size from millimeters to centimeters and can sometimes expand and merge with other patches over time The body hair and the iris may also be depigmented in affected areas Non-segmental vitiligo tends to affect the hands forearms, neck, scalp, feet, and face while segmental vitilgo tends to affect areas of skin near dorsal roots from the spinal cord.

Particularly in the face following the trigeminal nerve. The diagnosis of it a ligo is based on the appearance of D pigmented patches but a skin biopsy can also be done There are two main treatments. When the affected area is small, cosmetic cover up and topical immune suppressants can be applied directly to the skin. When the affected area is large systemic immune suppressant UV photo therapy skin bleaching Skin bleaching and in severe cases skin grafts can all be tried. Whatever the course of therapy sunscreen is recommended to prevent darkening of the skin areas immediately surrounding And contrasting the deep pigmentation areas and to reduce the risk of skin cancer.

Alright it's a quick vitiligo is a non contagious condition where destruction of melanosites and loss of melanin Leads to areas of deep pigmentation on the skin tends to affect the hands Arms, neck, scalp, feet, and face. Well, segmental vitiligo tends to affect the areas of skin near dorsal roots from the spinal cord Particularly in the face following the trigeminal nerve. For small areas, cosmetic cover up and topical immune suppressants can be used Areas systemic immune suppressants UV photo therapy skin bleaching and even skin grafts can be used as well Thanks for watching. If you're interested in a deeper dive on this topic take a look at us most.org where we have flashcards, question Gins and other awesome tools to help you learn medicine.