Safeguard for people with Vitiligo

Vitiligo causes loss of pigment and due to loss of pigment no protection against sun rays is left. Melanin (pigment that gives color to the skin) helps in protecting our skin from harmful UV rays of sun and the tanning effect produced by the sunlight increases the production of melanin which acts as a shield to protect us from the harmful UV rays of sunlight. But vitiligo causes loss of pigmentation which reduces the tanning effect and makes are skin defenseless against sunlight.

Excessive exposure to sunlight can cause aging and damage. Sunlight also make to skin vulnerable to melanoma, actinic keratosis, cataract and many other diseases. So it is wise to use protection against sunlight even if you don’t have vitiligo. The lack of pigment just enhances the vulnerability factor. So people with vitiligo must protect their skin from sunlight because of the lack of pigment. Now the question arises that how much exposure to sunlight is sufficient and how much is excessive.

Fifteen to twenty minutes of sun exposure three days a week is healthy and if your sun exposure time exceeds this limit then protection is necessary. The most common and the most used protection against sunlight is the sunscreen with different sun protection factor (SPF). You can use a sunblock with a SPF of twenty or over depending on the sensitivity of skin. Special type of clothes are also available that can help you avoid harmful UV ray present in the sunlight. Another way of protection is to use hats with larger brim and sunglasses.

This protection from sun is not applicable only for people with vitiligo other people should take these precautions as well. Vitiligo is not physically harmful but the main damage it does is the loss of pigment which eventually makes your skin sensitive. Some people also might have misconceptions that vitiligo is a precancerous condition but this is not true.