Do you know about a skin disorder called Vitiligo?

I looked it up on webmd.com %26amp; read about it.


Im just wondering if this is something that will affect my 3yr old in the long run...


Any info is great %26amp; appreciated.

Do you know about a skin disorder called Vitiligo?
Yes, I know about it because my 15 y/o daughter has it.


If your child has been diagnosed with it, mostly likely yes, it will affect your child. But my daughter has it and she is very self confident in who she is and the fact that she has her "spots" is okay with her.





Of course there are times when she doesn't like it, but usually, she just deals with it positively. It doesn't stop her from swimming or wearing shorts. But in casual situations, she will try to cover up (for instance, she prefers her pants a little long so they cover her feet when she wears flip flops)... but at the same time, she will not hesitate to wear shorts out to the beach.





So just give your child a good self-esteem and your child should be fine growing up with it. For us, we told her when she was young and had her deal with it then, and now at 15, it is definitely not a huge issue in her life.





There are treatments that may help, the younger the child is, the better they respond.





We don't do any treatments, as they are not covered by insurance, but we do have body make-up in the house, but my daughter has opted not to use it yet.





Oh yes, on a side note, keep the white patches covered with a VERY good sunscreen, there's no pigmentation to help protect the skin!





Good luck. It's not so bad!


You said your child was 3... my daughter had spots at a young age, but they were not noticeable until she was around 7 or so. And some years, they didn't increase, and some years they did... I think the increase depends on the person... it's hard to diagnose it at 3 years old. If you see blotchy skin, it may just be the sun right now (summer)...
Reply:It's what Michael Jackson claims to have. The one that makes your skin white.
Reply:yea its the skin discoloration disease
Reply:Michael Jackson has the same disease.
Reply:Yes, skin looses its pigment.


Heres a link to Vitiligo's info.
Reply:You child is at very little risk of it. Even if it is in the family the risk is still pretty low, so get on with life and don't spend it worrying about something which may never happen.
Reply:Vitiligo is a dermatological condition characterized by the appearance of white patches of skin on different parts of the body as a result of the destruction of the cells that make pigment (melanocytes). This may vary from one or two white spots on the skin to large areas of depigmentation. Vitiligo is not contagious. It seems to occur more often among people who have certain autoimmune diseases. For some people, although not for everyone, the depigmentation is progressive.
Reply:Vitiligo seems to occur more often among people who have certain autoimmune diseases. Does your 3 y.o. have an autoimmune disease?
Reply:Vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder, your body's immune system overreacts against melanin. If you have a family history of auto-immune disorders (thyroid gland problems, lupus or type 1 diabetes, vitiligo) he is going to be at a higher risk of developing it.





Autoimmune disorders are diagnosed, evaluated, and monitored through a combination of autoantibody blood tests, blood tests to measure inflammation and organ function, clinical presentation, and through non-laboratory examinations such as X-rays. There is currently no cure for autoimmune disorders, although in rare cases they may disappear on their own.





You may want to read more about them here





http://www.aarda.org/
Reply:This isn't a disease, it's a condition or a syndrome. The skin looses it's coloring. A speckling or spotting in the skin.





An Aunt had this, it was years ago. The doctors knew little about it then, she was being treated with iodine injections and treatment plus a sunlamp. I don't think any of it worked. The skin looses it's ability to have pigment.





Why would you think this would affect you son, do you have it? I don't think it's inheritable, at least none of my cousins, my Aunts kids, had it.