Many of you may be unaware of the term vitiligo. Vitiligo is the condition in which patients see white, pale patches on the skin. Vitiligo causes discoloration of the skin due to a loss of pigment cells in the affected area. Earlier, vitiligo was confused with leprosy, making the condition a stigma in previous generations. Even though vitiligo is a common condition, there is a lot of misinformation that gives birth to the question, “Is vitiligo contagious?” Before you self diagnose yourself, make sure to download a doctor online app to talk to a medical expert.
Vitiligo symptoms aren’t so prominent within a day. The condition takes time to develop and usually starts off as a tiny spot or a pale patch on the skin that slowly turns white in colour. With time, the centre of the patch turns completely white with irregular edges. The surrounding skin turns pale too. If there are blood vessels present under the skin, the patches may turn pink. If left untreated, the patches extend to other parts of the body. The common areas where one may first see symptoms of vitiligo are:
- Knees
- Elbows
- Around the mouth
- Groin
- Armpits, fingers, wrists
- Eyes
- Belly button
- Nostrils
- Lips
- Roots of air
Vitiligo on lips is seen in over 16% of cases in patients, making it the most common sign of the condition. If untreated early, the patches may spread to other parts of the body.
Now that you are aware of vitiligo, let’s answer the question, “is vitiligo contagious”? In simple words, no it is not contagious. Even though it is not contagious, experts say that vitiligo is stressful. The reason why it is stressful is the social stigma the condition comes with. Vitiligo isn’t life threatening but the way it is handled by people around can affect one’s self esteem, mental health and interpersonal relationships. People who are affected by vitiligo may feel anxious or depressed because society shuns them. Now that you know that vitiligo isn’t contagious, it is important to support people with the condition and help relieve stress.
While the causes of vitiligo are unclear, some of the common causes are autoimmune diseases,intoxication, chronic inflammatory processes, stress, dysfunctions of the nervous system, worm invasions and sunburn. Vitiligo may also cause other health issues such as:
- Eye problem like the inflammation of the iris
- Partial loss of hearing
- Increased sensitivity to sun burns
Main causes of vitiligo contagious
The shade of your skin, locks, and eyes approach from a color called melanin, which is formed by cells called melanocytes. The skin disarray vitiligo, differentiate by white patches of skin, occur when these melanocytes stop working. The result is blemished, uneven scrap of white casing where the melanocytes have been smashed. Vitiligo can involve not only your skin except your hair with your eyebrows also eyelashes, the surrounded by of your jaws and nose, with your retinas. No one recognize closely what reason vitiligo, and there’s no treat for the skin form either, but behavior are getting better. And the additional we learn about the basis of vitiligo, the better behavior will become.