Why am I losing pigment on my hands?
Vitiligo is a condition in which the skin loses its pigment cells (melanocytes). This can result in discolored patches in different areas of the body, including the skin, hair and mucous membranes. Vitiligo (vit-ih-LIE-go) is a disease that causes loss of skin color in patches.
How do you treat loss of pigmentation?
There is no cure. Treatment may include covering smaller patches with long-lasting dyes, light-sensitive medicines, UV light therapy, corticosteroid creams, surgery, and removing the remaining pigment from the skin (depigmentation).
How can I restore my skin pigment?
Your doctor may recommend topical creams, ultraviolet light therapy, or oral medication to help restore skin color and stop the spread of white patches. Skin grafts are also effective for getting rid of small patches of white skin.
What causes skin depigmentation?
Depigmentation of the skin can be caused by a number of local and systemic conditions. The pigment loss can be partial (such as after injury to the skin) or complete (such as from vitiligo). It can be temporary (such as from tinea versicolor) or permanent (such as from albinism).
What destroys melanin?
Ultraviolet light can cause DNA damage in cells and skin cancer, so melanin is an extremely important molecule. Bleaching completely destroys the amount of melanin in our skin making it more vulnerable and making those without it more susceptible to ailments such as skin cancer.
Will pigmentation ever go away?
Typically, these hyperpigmentation spots caused by a skin trauma go away on their own within a couple of months.
How can I get melanin back in my skin?
You get vitamin A from the food you eat, especially vegetables that contain beta carotene, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, and peas. Since vitamin A also functions as an antioxidant, some researchers believe this vitamin, more than any other, may be the key to melanin production.