I composed a very long message in word and I am now trying to copy cut paste it in here but it does not seem to want to work.
Perhaps i will try to include it as an attachment....hope it works.
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My understanding is that neither have any melanocyte stimulating properties. Their true intent is to stop the "damaging effect" of the immune system in the area that they are applied. Other forms of light therapies etc would then be considered pigment stimulating.
Protopic takes considerable time, months for most people to work as it suppresses the immune system in the topically applied areas and then the body naturally regains pigmentation back from the edges of the non vitiligo skin or from any of the still producing melanocytes within the patch. The larger the patch the less effective it will be and the longer it will take.
I can't say that I have had any major success yet but I have only been on it for about 6 weeks. I do know that it has some mild side effects when you first start it. There is a sensation of heat or warmth when it is applid to the face. It can be very noticeable at first but goes away but not entirely, at least for me after a week or so. My vit is pretty mild and hasn't spread since I first got it about 6 months ago. I am optimistic that it won't and that I will start seeing some results soon using protopic.
So should I be concerned that my doc has prescribed steroid cream instead of protopic for my face? I really want to nip this thing in the bud!! I don't want to waste time.
Where do have it on your face? Mine is mainly concentrated around my mouth.
Also, I apologize for all the mistakes and typos... I'm not as illiterate as I come off... I blame the tiny keyes of my iphone as well as autocorrect!!!
Well my doctor made it a point to prescribe Protopic instead of steroid creams. My vit is located under my lip more to the left side. I also have a tiny spot on my right hand, nothing on my left. It started back in early december under my lip on the left side. It slowly got a little bigger over the course of a month. I noticed a spot on my right hand about 2 months after the lip and since both spots have changed very little. I have had it for about 5 months i suppose, officially but I figure I had the lip spot well before I actually noticed it so I say 6.
I am encouraged by the fact that I am fair skinned and you can barely see it but also that it has been stable for about 4 months. I will keep my fingers crossed that it stays that way.
I agree with Nadika. I would try protopic on your face. It seems to work best on faces, at least from what I have read. And I also second the vitamin regimen. You need the folic acid, b12 AND pantothenic acid, copper and zinc, in addition to the other goodies found in vitamins. Try to find a "complete" type vitamin that has all of the above. For kids it would be Flinstones Complete. I'm not sure what an adult equivalent would be. Stay on the vitamins. I have 4 kids and I know how easy it is to not take care of myself, but vitamins have been quite successful in treating vitiligo for a lot of people. And most importantly, don't stress over it. Stress makes it worse. You have 3 wonderful kids to care for and are very lucky to have them. It will be okay! Try those two things for a few months and see what happens. I'm anxious to hear!
I want to start a vitamin regimen but I am
Not having any success in researching the exact dosages. I found an article published by a derm (who is specialised in vitiligo) but it makes no mention of the dosages.
I have a hard type wrapping my head around the fact that there is no medication to treat the vitiligo internally considering it is an autoimmune disease. It just seems that I should be doing so much more than just treating the white patches as they show up.
Could someone explain to me the difference between a steroid cream and protopic? By the way, I apply the steroid cream three times a day not three times a week as stated in my initial message.
Hi Chrissy ))) Not two sets of triplets ??!!! Okay !!!! One set is enough ))))))
You apply steroid cream 3 times a day ??? For how long have you been doing this ??? As far as I know, steroid cream is applied only once a day, for not more than 3 weeks at a time. Then you take a break and start again. Or you switch to Protopic, if the vitiligo is on the face.
The vitamins ......... 1000 mcg Vitamin B12 and 800 mcg Folic Acid is the recommended amount.
Diff between steroid cream and Protopic ....... well ... I am not sure what exactly the two creams do, but I can tell you that Protopic is not steroid based, and therefore more "safer" to use. Especially on the face.
Yes I did read that it could cause skin thinning but between thin skin and white patches... Which is the lesser evil?
So if I understand correctly, none of the two creams actually stimulate melanocytes? It just seems so odd to target the manifesration of yhe disease of opposed to the actual cause.
I am already on immumosupressants for my rhumathoid arthritis.
Justin, is it working on your face? How long have you been using it?
Chrissy,
For what it's worth, protopic HAS worked on my daughters face. But only her face. I have quit treating all other areas of her body with it b/c it hasn't worked anyplace else, and let's be honest, it is ridiculously expensive for me to be coating her body with if it doesn't work. She has vitiligo everywhere, but I'll save that "white gold" for her face. BUT, we are seeing some repigmentation elsewhere, specifically hands and knees. I can only assume that the vitamins are what is prompting the repigmentation.
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