Vitiligo Frequently Asked Questions

What is Vitiligo? 

Vitiligo is a skin condition characterized by loss of pigment; this results in white patches appearing on the skin and mucus membranes.

Who Is At Risk Of Developing Vitiligo? 

Anyone can develop vitiligo and both genders have an equal chance of getting vitiligo. All races exhibit a similar prevalence of this condition. However, you are more likely of developing vitiligo if a parent has it, if you or someone in your family has an autoimmune condition (such as hyperthyroidism), and if you experienced graying of hair before the age of 35.

What Is The Prevalence of Vitiligo? 

Vitiligo affects 1 to 2% of the population worldwide and it is estimated that between two to five million Americans have the condition. Generally, vitiligo develops between the ages of 10 to 30.

What Causes Vitiligo? 

The symptoms of vitiligo arise because the melanocytes (the cells that produce pigment which gives the skin its color) are either destroyed or stop functioning. What causes this to happen is still debatable - it may be the result of an autoimmune reaction, genetics, or possibly an event such as sunburn or emotional stress.

Is Vitiligo Contagious? 

No, vitiligo is not contagious.

What Are the Symptoms of Vitiligo?

People with vitiligo exhibit irregular white patches on different parts of the body, and these patches of grow bigger with time. Usually, the first white patches appear on the face, lips, hands, arms and feet. Later, they spread to other areas including the armpits, eyes, genitals and nostrils. Loss of pigment can also result in the eyes and hair.

How Is Vitiligo Diagnosed? 

A doctor will diagnose vitiligo by doing a physical examination, taking a patient's history and possibly carrying out a biopsy and/or blood test to rule out other conditions.

How Is Vitiligo Treated? 

Conventional medical treatments for vitiligo include: UV light therapy re-pigmentation, corticosteroids (oral or topical), skin grafting, skin tattooing, and in extensive cases of vitiligo, de-pigmentation of the rest of the skin to match the color of the affected skin.

Is Vitiligo Treatment Effective? 

Unfortunately no method has a guaranteed success. Steroids may produce some improvements if used in the long-term, but this is not recommended because of side effects. Light therapy is effective to an extent, but it is very time consuming and can cause eye damage, skin burns and skin cancer. Skin grafting should in theory be very effective, but in reality many complications occur, including rejection of the graft, infection, and abnormal appearance of the grafted skin (cobblestone effect).

Is It True That Vitiligo Can Be Cured Without Any Medications Or Surgery? 

Yes, there has been numerous research papers published that reported that in scientific trials, patients have been cured of vitiligo using a combination of 3 vitamins, herbal extracts or a combination of herbals and vitamins. It has also been shown that dietary changes can have a pronounced effect of the condition. A lot of research on natural cures for vitiligo has been carried out in Sweden.

For more information on natural cures for vitiligo check Natural Vitiligo Treatment and cure vitiligo completely.

You can also try this highly acclaimed Vitiligo Treatment Method.

Vitiligo Treatment - Conventional Options

Vitiligo is a skin disorder affecting about 100 million persons worldwide. It is characterized by white patches of skin on different areas of the body, caused by a destruction of the melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells. Current medical treatment for vitiligo includes medications and surgery. Unfortunately, all treatments are notoriously ineffective, associated with a high risk of side effects and are often unaffordable for most people.

Medical Treatments

Vitiligo Surgical Treatments

Medical treatments include topical steroid therapy, psoralen photochemotherapy, and depigmentation therapy.

In topical steroid therapy, you are required to use steroid creams on the white patches of the skin, and this is supposed to help the skin re-pigment itself. Doctors recommend that you use these creams at least for 3 months before any improvement can be expected to be seen. However, these creams are associated with a number of side effects and are not generally recommended for children or for patches of white skin occurring on the face, armpits or genital region.

In psoralen photochemotherapy, ultraviolet light is used to re-pigment the white patches, in conjunction with psoralen cream or oral medications. This is extremely time-consuming and you will need to undergo bi- or tr-weekly sessions at a specialized clinic for several weeks or months. This type of treatment is associated with a number of severe side effects, including an increased risk of skin cancer, severe sunburn, blistering of the skin, and eye damage.

If your vitiligo is extensive, you may opt to have the rest of your skin de-pigmented, so that it matches the colour of the vitiligo-affected parts. De-pigmentation involves the use of chemicals that basically bleach the skin. Side-effects include inflammation, itchy and dry skin, and extreme sensitivity to sunlight.

Surgical Therapies

If medical therapy proves ineffective (as it often does), surgical therapies may be opted for. Unfortunately, these are not generally paid for by insurance carriers, hence making them unaffordable to most patients.

A common surgical therapy for vitiligo is the autologous skin graft, wherein a doctor takes some skin from an unaffected area (e.g. the buttocks) and attaches it to a de-pigmented area (e.g. on the arms). This operation suffers from complications such as infection, scarring, and cobblestone appearance of the skin.

Another type of surgical therapy is special tattooing. Effectively, the doctor will try to find a dye that matches the natural color of the person's skin, and apply this dye into the skin. Obviously, it is hard to find a dye that matches the natural color perfectly. In addition, whilst normal skin changes in color according to different levels of sun exposure, tattooed skin won't.

A Better, Safer Option

Although very few doctors will know or tell you about it (there is too much money involved in conventional treatment methods), you can actually cure yourself of vitiligo at home using only herbal and vitamin supplements, combined with some dietary and lifestyle changes. Indeed in the past, a number of doctors and scientists had reported such successes in medical journals, but this research is now kept hidden by the pharmaceutical industry.

For the first time ever, this research has been dug up and used to compile a comprehensive step-by-step guide on exactly what you need to do to naturally and safely cure yourself of vitiligo in just a few weeks - without any medications or surgical interventions. 

Learn more about Vitiligo and Natural Vitiligo Treatment and cure vitiligo completely.

You can also try this highly acclaimed Vitiligo Treatment Method.

White Patches on Skin? - Can be Vitiligo

White patches on skin are a characteristic symptom of vitiligo, a skin disorder that causes the destruction and/or malfunction of the pigment-producing cells. Often these patches are present on the body parts that are most exposed to the sun, such as the arms, hands, legs, feet and face. White patches can also occur at the navel, armpits and genital region. In addition, persons with vitiligo typically exhibit early greying of the hair. It is estimated that 1% of the USA's population have vitiligo, and in total around 100 million people worldwide suffer from this condition.

White patches on skin can be vitiligo

It is still not known for sure what causes vitiligo. The main theory is that vitiligo is an autoimmune disease, which results in the body's immune system attacking the melanocytes (pigment-producing cells). In fact, people with another autoimmune disease such as hyperthyroidism and adrenocortical insufficiency are more likely to suffer from vitiligo. Some researchers also believe that events such as severe sunburn, certain medications, and emotional stress can trigger vitiligo. In addition, there appears to be a genetic component as well.


There are a number of treatment options for vitiligo; however, all suffer from high rates of ineffectiveness and risk of side effects. Furthermore, most are long-term therapies (e.g. PUVA therapy requires bi- or tri- weekly visits to a specialized clinic for weeks or months) and are not generally paid for by insurance companies. This often makes these treatments too expensive for most patients.


One of the most basic treatments is topical steroid therapy, which involves the use of steroid cream on the white patches of the skin. This may help to re-pigment the skin; however, results come very slowly (after several months). In addition, steroids are associated with a number of side effects, including a weakened immune system and skin irritation. A more advanced treatment involves photochemotherapy in combination with oral or topical psoralen. Although this approach is generally more effective than steroid therapy, it is also much more time-consuming, expensive and is associated with severe side effects including skin burns, eye damage and skin cancer. There are also a number of surgical therapies for vitiligo, such as skin grafting. Again, this is not always effective as the graft may be rejected. Surgical procedures can also have complications such as infections, scarring, and 'cobblestoned' skin appearance.


A much better and safer option is to cure vitiligo using a holistic, natural approach. This involves using herbal extracts to halt the spread of vitiligo and combination therapy with vitamins (three vitamins appear to be particularly effective) to stimulate the melanocytes to start producing pigment again. This should be combined with dietary and lifestyle changes (such as avoidance of certain foods) to ensure a fast and permanent cure from vitiligo. Using such a holistic approach can permanently cure vitiligo in just a few weeks. Best of all, such a method is free of side effects because no artificial chemicals or medications are used. The most famous proponent of such as system is Michael Dawson, a certified nutritionist, health consultant and independent medical research. 


Learn more about Vitiligo and Natural Vitiligo Treatment and cure vitiligo completely. You can also try this highly acclaimed Vitiligo Treatment Method.