Vitiligo »
What is vitiligo, and what causes it?
Vitiligo (vit-ill-EYE-go) is a pigmentation disorder in which melanocytes
(the cells that make pigment) in the skin are destroyed. As a result, white
patches appear on the skin in different parts of the body. Similar patches also
appear on both the mucous membranes (tissues that line the inside of the mouth
and nose), and the retina (inner layer of the eyeball). The hair that grows on
areas affected by vitiligo sometimes turns white.
The cause of vitiligo is not known, but doctors and researchers have several
different theories. There is strong evidence that people with vitiligo inherit a
group of three genes that make them susceptible to depigmentation. The most
widely accepted view is that the depigmentation occurs because vitiligo is an
autoimmune disease -- a disease in which a person's immune system reacts against
the body's own organs or tissues. As such, people's bodies produce proteins
called cytok...
Read the Vitiligo article »
Bald patches began at age seven. Cortisone shots directly into the patches worked temporarily. When patches came back around age nine I was treated with: more shots in scalp, Topsyn ointment and also fluorescent light treatments. Eventually all of my hair fell out. By age 15 I was asked to participate in the Minoxidil study. I used it at (what is now considered to be) 100x current market strength. It did not work for me. By age 17 my eyebrows fell out. By age 23 my eyelashes, once lush and long, also fell out. Half of my mons is also bald--the rest is pale blonde and thin. I have transparent hair growth under my armpits and shave it off once every ten days or so. I haven't shaved my legs since I was thirteen. I am now 41 years old, married, and have two children who do not have this disease. I wear a wig, and every day is hell for me because it is not comfortable. I just want my hair to grow back, once and for all, so I can feel normal again. I have never settled and gotten used to this, but I've made the best of it from what I have. Published: March 06 ::