Vitiligo is a skin condition in which a person’s skin develops smooth white areas (called macules or patches). The hands, forearms, feet, and face are usually the first to be affected. Vitiligo affects around 1% of the world’s population.

Although no one fully understands what exactly causes vitiligo, here’s what we know about the causes and aggravating factors of vitiligo so far.

Immune system malfunctions

Autoimmunity is thought to have a role in vitiligo, according to researchers. That happens when your immune system misidentifies a portion of your body—in this example, the cells known as melanocytes—as foreign and attacks it. Vitiligo is more common in those who have other autoimmune disorders, such as Hashimoto’s disease (which affects the thyroid gland) and alopecia (which causes hair loss).

Vitiligo is assumed to be the outcome of autoimmunity, which damages and eventually kills these cells.

Experts believe that an autoimmune reaction may cause a variant of vitiligo known as non-segmental vitiligo. Non-segmental vitiligo affects only one side of your body’s melanocytes.

However, the relationship between vitiligo and other autoimmune illnesses has thus far only been an association. It’s impossible to argue that one causes the other. Vitiligo is seldom helped by therapy for another autoimmune disease.

Heredity

Vitiligo may be passed down through families, but it’s not as frequent as you would expect.

There is no family history of vitiligo in the great majority of cases. While many individuals ask if vitiligo is inherited, it is currently impossible to determine if you will get the disorder based on family members who have it. However, autoimmune illnesses appear to have a hereditary component in general.

Trauma to the body

Physical damage or stress to the skin, such as a sunburn or exposure to industrial toxins, appears to induce or at least precede vitiligo in some people. Vitiligo can emerge precisely where there has been an injury.

Existing vitiligo patches may expand or worsen due to triggers in persons who already have the disorder. The initial indications of skin pigmentation loss, for example, may appear on a region of skin that has been exposed to chemicals or has been damaged.

Emotional tension

Psychological hardship, like physical stress, appears to have a role in exacerbating vitiligo, as it does with many other skin diseases. Again, this connection isn’t completely understood.

While vitiligo is neither infectious nor life-threatening, it does cause substantial mental distress. The result is visible and disfiguring, and it is, as you may imagine, mentally distressing.

Stress due to oxidation

An imbalance in certain compounds—free radicals and antioxidants—involved in many physiological processes is referred to as oxidative stress. UV radiation, pollution, and other environmental variables can all contribute to the imbalance. Vitiligo-affected parts of the body are known to be more sensitive to oxidative stress.

Exposure to Chemicals

Another environmental risk factor for getting vitiligo is contact with or exposure to specific chemicals. Some specialists believe the chemicals exacerbate stress pathways already present in melanocytes, resulting in autoimmune inflammation. Furthermore, genetic effects may raise cellular stress in melanocytes or reduce the stress threshold that the immune system can tolerate.

Monobenzone, which is present in items such as rubber, leather, and cosmetic colours, is one of the compounds that has been examined. Monobenzone has been shown in studies to cause skin depigmentation to develop and worsen in patients with vitiligo. Phenols, suspected of impeding melanocyte activity, are another class of chemicals that may play a role in vitiligo. Adhesives, disinfectants, paints, pesticides, and other items commonly include these compounds.

BREAKING: Maverick Vitiligo Researcher Claims to Have Discovered The Real Cause of Vitiligo

David Paltrow, an unconventional vitiligo researcher, has recently hit the news with his claim that he has discovered the real cause of vitiligo…according to him, it has nothing to do with melanin.

He is also claiming that by targeting this underlying cause, he is able to cure vitiligo in 45 days flat.

Check out his video presentation below: