Hello everyone. I will be turning 33 this month and am just now finding out what vitiligo really is. I did not know it was an auto immune disease. I did not know that while not everyone is afftected there are underlying issues and conditions that you can have as a person with vitiligo. My two-toned skin has never bothered me. I don't care what people think when they see me. My only concerned is skin cancer. And now there is another issue and I have no idea how to go about seeing if I can get treated. My hair has been thinning for some years now, and I have looked at my hairline I noticed that the vitiligo has started spreading on my scalp as well. I also have a circle shaped patch of hair that is thinning. I am scared of going bald. I know that sound silly with all the issues that people deal with, but it bothers me. My hair is also going white and gray in areas. Has anyone with vitilgo on here dealt with this? Is there something I can do to stop my hair from falling out. I have also read that dyeing your hair when you have vitiligo also increases the chance of vitiligo spreading on your scalp? I don't know what to do. Do I go see a dermatologist? Any ideas????
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I have hair loss as well. It started in circle shaped patches like you described. I was diagnosed with alopecia areata which is another autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the hair follicles. It sounds like this may be something you want to look into. I get steroid shots in my scalp which help the hair grow back. Take a look at alopeciaworld.com lots of support available there as well as the national alopecia areata foundation (naaf). Good luck. I can give you more info if you want and things I do to cover it up. Message me if you're interested. Take care.
Stephanie,
I have been going gray since I was 18. I'm 42 and have a nice salt and pepper look going on now (so I've been told) but haven't had to deal with any hair loss (on my head anyway). I've had a beard for the past five years or so - again peppered with gray. I keep it trimmed short - so I trim it often. Over the past several weeks the vit on my face and neck have been spreading rapidily. I have had huge chucks of my beard turn completely white too! Sorry, no helpful advice to share - just experiences. I am rather new to this whole thing myself.
My only concern with getting cancer is making sure I put sun block on before I go out in the sun. I am a very active person when it's nice out so in the summer you can really see my "spots" :) I do get burned at least once a summer. And about my eyes, my mother just heard of one treatment before she decided not to see the dermatologist anymore. It was a cream that could make me go blind if I got it in my eyes. Vitiligo has never never really bothered me. The only thing that is bothering me is my hair. First things first...I need to go see my dr and get a referrel to see a dermatologist.
Stephanie,
Have you had your thyroid tested? When I was 34, soon after having my son, my hair started falling out. It went super thin above my temple areas and my hairline receded about 2-3 inches more into a male patern balding patern. My hair had started turning gray when I was 13, and I colored it up until last year. Anyway, hypothyroidism is a very common auto immune disorder that several of us deal with. I have recently begun HRT for menopause, and have DHEA compounded into my cream. I have noticed that DHEA seems to help regulate my thyroid! Adrenal fatigue is also quite common and DHEA is a huge help.
Michelle
Hello,
I am sorry but I have no idea what you are talking about. lol My mother took me to a dermatologist only once. She was told of atleast once option but the doctor said I could go blind or something and she said no and took me home. The only thing that I was ever told about it was that my pigment cells destroy themselves and nobody knows why. So I have absolutely no idea what to do. If you have any advice on what to do, please let me know. I can't believe my parents were so naive and neglectful that they didn't want to find out what I was diagnosed with.
Hey Stephanie
Take it easy ..vitiligo is not harmful condition ..As most dr say it is cosmetic condition .
It will never affect your eyes
It has no connection with cancer at the matter of fact we are less affected by the worst skin cancer called melanoma..the anti body which attack the melanocyte it protect us from melanoma.
yes some vitis has other autoemune conditions but not all
About your hair talk to hair salone ,,you are right most cosmetic hair collors have phenols it is not good for us but you can use naturall henna.
Relax don`t stress! ...the only known trigger is stress.
Actually, I've read that there are sometimes eye issues because the pigment in the retina can be affected. But from what I've read, this is usually not very serious. The main thing I've heard is it can sometimes make your vision in very dark surroundings worse. Not to scare people though. Like I say, everything I've read says this is rarely anything serious.