Vitiligo

Currently, there is no cure for vitiligo. However, treatments are available to help manage symptoms and improve well-being. Vitiligo is a skin condition that causes the loss of melanin in the skin, resulting in poorly melanated or unmelanated patches that appear pale to white in color. It most commonly affects people with dark skin but...

Although vitiligo is not considered life-threatening and is not associated with severe physical symptoms, the condition can still significantly impact patients’ quality of life. Due to stares and the disease’s unpredictable course, many vitiligo patients feel distressed and stigmatized by their condition. Vitiligo support groups may alleviate these feelings and potentially improve the quality of...

Many vitiligo patients experience access to care issues, such as a lack of insurance, language barriers, geographic proximity to a provider, and more. Unfortunately, these barriers lead to vitiligo treatment delays. Delayed treatment can interfere with disease stabilization and repigmentation efficacy as early-stage interventions are more effective. Given that patients of color with vitiligo experience...

Vitiligo is a common skin condition associated with many comorbid autoimmune, dermatological, and systemic diseases. These conditions include diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, Addison’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, scleroderma, and more. However, the researchers recognized that very few studies investigated the associations between vitiligo and various medical conditions. Therefore, this study, published by The Journal of...

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In the medical community, an often overlooked yet important issue is the psychosocial distress experienced by people of color with vitiligo. Although vitiligo affects all racial groups similarly, this skin pigmentation condition is much more noticeable in people with darker skin.  Racially diverse children are more likely to encounter barriers to accessing care at pediatric...

Opzelura can be used twice daily in patients ages 12 years and older The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Opzelura (ruxolitinib) as the first topical treatment for vitiligo. The 1.5 percent cream is approved for continuous topical use twice daily to affected areas of up to 10 percent of body surface area in...

In this MD Newsline exclusive interview with dermatologist Dr. Valerie Harvey, we discuss vitiligo treatment disparities. MD Newsline: What disparities in diagnosing and treating vitiligo have you observed in your clinical practice and research?  Dr. Valerie Harvey: “Diagnosing vitiligo is pretty straightforward. But I think we need to do a better job of educating clinicians...

In this MD Newsline exclusive interview with dermatologist Dr. Valerie Harvey, we discuss why vitiligo is an important health issue. MD Newsline: Can you explain why vitiligo is an important health issue? Dr. Valerie Harvey: “Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune skin condition where your body’s immune system attacks the cells that make pigment in your...