The manifestation of vitiligo’s effects on a patient’s body is seen not only through the white patches that appear but also through the weakening of the skin’s function. The occurrence of this disorder affects the melanin content of a person’s skin, thus making him more prone to the damaging effects of the sun. The primary goal of the treating vitiligo is to improve the person’s physical appearance and restore the important functions of the skin making him less susceptible to even more skin damage.

The first option is the medical therapies. When started early, topical steroid therapy helps a great deal in repigmenting the skin meaning returning the color to those white patches that have spread around the body. Doctors advice the patients to apply corticosteroids, which are a group of drugs that resemble the hormones produced by the adrenal gland. Results usually manifest after two to three months of application, taking note this is not a therapy to cure vitiligo but a treatment that can help.

Even if it is time-consuming, psoralen photochemotherapy is proving to be one of the most beneficial treatments for vitiligo patients. It is also known as the psoralen and ultraviolet A therapy). Ultraviolet A (UVA) is a type of radiation that reaches the earth’s surface and cause the skin to tan while psoralens are drugs that contain chemicals, which react with ultraviolet light. This treatment is done by exposing the skin to UVA light from a special lamp. This must be done careful so as to not overexpose the skin.

Patients who will undergo psoralen photochemotherapy have two options: oral which is taking psoralen by mouth, and topical which is done by applying the medicine to the skin.

These medical therapies for vitiligo are the most widley used in the profession.

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Vitiligo facts in plain English by Jason Herbert the webmaster of http://www.vitiligoinfo.com