It is widely seen among the people having Vitiligo that they love breathing in the fresh air and working out of the doors. And they often utter it to the doctors and the people in their surroundings. Now the question hits the mind as to whether they need any kinds of special precautions to protect their skin.
There is no natural protection at all against the sun’s rays for most of the patches of Vitiligo skin. Why is this so? This is because the Vitiligo skin happens to be white due to the non-presence of the active melanocytes (the cells which make melanin, skin pigment). The sun’s effect boosts the melanin production that tans the skin – this happens to be a defensive mechanism to nip in the skin’s bud from being destroyed by burning.
Your skin has to be protected and prevented from sun-burning that is painful and appears to be hazardous for the skin. The sun-burning may even help the Vitiligo spread in some other people as well. Avoid excessive and unnecessary sun exposure since it may churn out wrinkles and other damages to your skin.
Since the Vitiligo skin appears to be predominantly susceptible to sunburn, there are a few brands of sun-block classified by NHS (The National Health Service of UK) as borderline substances readily available in the market but with the prescription written by the doctor. Be assured while the doctors prescribes that he/she mentions one with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 20 or over and then with both UVA and UVB filters.
It is to be noted carefully that applying a sunscreen does not happen to be the only method for the protection of the skin from sun-burning and on the other hand, it could be injudicious relying a lot on sun-block alone.
In addition to the above, it should be advisable that the Vitiligo affected people should wear a wide brimmed hat, sunglasses and go for sun-protecting outfits.
These people have to be under the shade as much as possible during the time of the heat while the day lasts such as from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Do keep in mind always to re-apply the sun-block after you swim or take exercise that turns you sweating. During the day when the atmosphere is cool (like early in the morning and when the day starts turning to evening), a bit of sun exposure proves beneficial. And staying briefly in temperate zones too emerges beneficial.
Thus it seems that taking a sunbath on the beaches is no longer the alluring thing to spend holidays but having Vitiligo cannot stop you from going for the outdoor vacations in warm climates.
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