Editorial

Vitiligo is a disease in which cells that produce pigment, called melanocytes, are destroyed,
leaving white irregular patches of skin where pigment used to be. The spots usually appear on
the hands, feet, arms, face and lips, but can also occur in the skin around the mouth, nose,
eyes and genitals. The hair that grows in areas affected by vitiligo may also turn white. Although
vitiligo itself is not painful, can cause emotional distress.

Science has not identified the cause of vitiligo, but some researchers theorize that an
autoimmune process plays a role. In an autoimmune disease, the body's immune system
begins attacking innocent tissues. In vitiligo, antibodies may develop against melanocytes,
ultimately destroying some of them. Vitiligo seems to be more common in people with other
autoimmune diseases, yet most people with vitiligo have no other autoimmune disease.

The conventional vitiligo treatments combine exposure to ultraviolet light (UVA) with oral or
topical drugs that selectively sensitize the skin to UVA, such drugs are called "psoralens"
because they are the most commonly used to treat psoriasis. The results of this treatment are
generally reasonably good. Other options include topical corticosteroids, which are best for
vitiligo localizado.1 In severe cases, surgical procedures including skin grafting and
transplantation of melanocytes can be considered, although these approaches are still
experimental.