A survey of shopping mall visitors in Saudi Arabia revealed that 80 per cent of them do not want to employ a Vitiligo patient, while 42 per cent of girls do not want to marry them, a consultant dermatologist said.
Vitiligo is a skin disorder where white patches of skin appear on different parts of the body.
It happens when the immune system attacks the melanocyte cells that make pigment in the skin.
The causes are unclear and while it’s been documented for thousands of years, it can be the source of stigma and shame.
Dr. Najla Al Dossary said 40 per cent of dermatologists in the Kingdom see 5-10 patients with vitiligo per week, and the rate of infection among a sample of people studied in
Hira General Hospital in Mecca was 0.43 per cent, of whom women accounted for more than 90 per cent.
Vitiligo is not a form of skin cancer, is not contagious and and sufferers are every bit as healthy as everyone else, Dr. Al Dossary said.
She said Vitiligo has an estimated prevalence of 0.5–2% of the population worldwide.
“The disease is characterised by the selective loss of melanocytes which results in typical nonscaly, chalky-white macules. In recent years, considerable progress has been made in our understanding of the pathogenesis of vitiligo which is now clearly classified as an autoimmune disease,” Dr. Al Dossary added.
Vitiligo is often dismissed as a cosmetic problem, although its effects can be psychologically devastating, often with a considerable burden on daily life.
Vitiligo, Dr Al Doassary said, affects ethnic groups and people of all skin types with no predilection. However, there seem to be large geographic differences.
Dr Al Dossary said medical treatments are available and safe, and does not require any searching for folk remedies and herbal medicines for their damages, especially cures that are sold without medical supervision, as they may contain formulas with a high concentration of cortisone, which do not fit the site of the injury, and over time it may cause thinning of the skin and osteoporosis if used in large quantities.
These cures may also cause ocular white water if used on the face.
She said Vitiligo patients were advised not to be exposed to the sun without the use of protections due to the susceptibility of vitiligo to sunburn.
She ruled out that Vitiligo is a bacterial infection, or it is related to milk products, or it is related to gecko or gecko saliva, as well as lack of hygiene, or eating milk with fish, or as a result psychological trauma, all of which are scientifically unproven beliefs.
SOURCE : GULF NEWS
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