Vitiligo (Ala) disease, which manifests itself with the change in the color of the skin, attracts everyone’s attention due to the white spots on the skin, but it makes the world-famous stars who have this disease attract more attention. Winnie Harlow, Roger Monte, Steve Martin, Jon Hamm and Holly Marie are in the midst of this disease-affected stars. It was claimed that this disease also bleached Michael Jackson.
Our skin is our most beautiful clothing, our hair and nails are our most precious jewels. Our melanin pigment, which creates our skin color, which adds to our beauty, can change with our genetic structure, environmental factors and tension. These pigments, which give our skin its color, protect us from the damaging effects of the sun and light sources. Vitiligo or ‘Ala’ disease, as it is known in the public, develops due to losses in pigment-making cells and pigment. While 80 percent of the risk factors in the formation of this disease are related to our genetic structure, the remaining 20 percent are related to environmental factors. Due to common genetic risk factors, these patients may develop simultaneous autoimmune (immune) diseases, that is, diseases that develop due to self-waste of the body, such as thyroid, diabetes, joint, anemia and adrenal gland diseases.
IT CAN BE A HIGHLIGHT OF ANOTHER DISEASE
Is there any benefit to having vitiligo? How is this a question, you might say. But the answer is that the investigation of other diseases that may accompany Vitiligo disease and the follow-up and treatment of its possible development are very valuable. Thus, this change in the color of our skin will provide us with a clue for the diagnosis and treatment of another important potentially fatal disease.
Another valuable point of view is that patients with vitiligo have a reduced risk of certain types of cancer. This is because the development of some cancer types such as lung, breast, ovary, skin, kidney and liver can be suppressed during the autoimmune, that is, the body’s fight with itself, related to Vitiligo.
MANKINES SUPPLIED WITH THIS DISEASE ARE WANTED
The third and well-known one is that the visual images and shares of world-famous people and models caused by this disease are highly appreciated and accordingly, they are sought after in their work. We can give Winnie Harlow, Roger Monte as examples of female and male model celebrities. We can give Steve Martin, Jon Hamm and Holly Marie as examples of world-famous stars with Vitiligo. Despite the rumors that Michael Jackson’s skin was bleached, it is said that he and his family have mentioned that they have Vitiligo.
LASER PIGMENT Stimulation
As for aesthetic cosmetic processes, white areas can be covered by needle procedures by placing special concealer pigments into the skin. However, there is a possibility that this formula may delay the appearance and recognition of additional diseases. In addition, when the disease improves or the pigment reduction applied over time will lead to color differences in the following periods, it is valuable to control it. Another usage target of aesthetic and cosmetic processes is needling methods to reach the drugs used in the treatment and laser systems that can open very fine wells in the skin, followed by the application of drugs. Another application is that a laser and light system with a special wavelength can stimulate the pigment in the skin and can be beneficial in the treatment alone. It is also recommended to use artifacts with camouflage features that protect from the sun.
A METHOD IN HAIR TRANSPLANTATION
In the treatment of vitiligo, if the disease is stable, hair transplantation can be used. Finite area involvement is another practical surgical formula to take the hairs from the colored hairy areas of the person and transplant them into the Vitiligo area by means of hair transplantation in order to benefit from the stem cells in the existing hair in areas where there is no hair. Special devices are being developed that make vitiligo surgery practical.
WHAT IS DONE IN TREATMENT?
In the treatment, it is very valuable to evaluate the affected skin area, the rate of spread, the age of the patient and the accompanying diseases, if any. In the stepwise algorithmic treatment approach, the entire condition of the patient is evaluated. Treatment options include creams, oral and injection drugs that affect immunity, residential or hospital type phototherapy applications, laser systems, cosmetic applications, surgical approaches, treatments that regulate the oxidation system, and lightening the color of other areas.
HOLY INNOVATIONS
The most recent development is the approval of a skin-applicable form of a drug used in the treatment of vitiligo this year. The possibility of this drug coming to our country excites us doctors and patients as a search for innovation that we have been waiting for years. Another pleasant development in recent years is that a kind of cholesterol drug aims at the developmental stages of Vitiligo and provides treatment by affecting the immune system, oxidation state, and overworked structures in the circulation. This drug, which is also a cheap option in terms of cost, can be used in which patients and under which conditions, it can be evaluated by the dermatology, cardiology and endochronology departments.