Vitiligo (Ala) disease, which manifests itself with the change in the color of the skin, attracts the attention of everyone because of the white spots on the skin, but it makes the world-famous stars who have this disease attract more attention. Winnie Harlow, Roger Monte, Steve Martin, Jon Hamm and Holly Marie are among the stars who got this disease. It was claimed that this disease also bleached Michael Jackson.
Our skin is our most beautiful clothing, our hair and nails are our most precious jewels. Our melanin pigment, which makes up our skin color, which adds beauty to our beauty, can change with our genetic structure, environmental factors and stress. These pigments, which give our skin its color, protect us from the harmful effects of the sun and light sources. Vitiligo, or popularly known as ‘Ala’ disease, develops due to losses in pigment-making cells and pigment. While 80 percent of the risk factors in the formation of this disease are related to our genetic structure, the remaining 20 percent are related to environmental factors. Due to common genetic risk factors, these patients may develop concomitant autoimmune (immune) diseases that develop due to self-harm, such as thyroid, diabetes, joint, anemia and adrenal gland diseases.
ANOTHER DISEASE CAN BE A NEWER
Is it beneficial to have vitiligo? How is this a question, you might say. But the answer is that it is very important to investigate other diseases that may accompany Vitiligo disease and to follow up and treat their possible development. Thus, this change in the color of our skin will provide us with a clue for the diagnosis and treatment of another serious and potentially fatal disease.
Another important point of view is that patients with vitiligo have a reduced risk of certain types of cancer. This is because the development of some types of cancer such as lung, breast, ovary, skin, kidney and liver can be suppressed during the autoimmune, that is, the body’s fight with itself, associated with Vitiligo.
SUITABLE WITH THIS DISEASE MODELS ARE IN VOICE
The third and popular one is that the visual images and shares of world-famous people and models caused by this disease are highly appreciated and accordingly they are sought after in their jobs. We can give Winnie Harlow, Roger Monte as examples of female and male model celebrities. We can give Steve Martin, Jon Hamm and Holly Marie as examples of world-famous stars with Vitiligo. It is said that he and his family stated that they had Vitiligo, despite the rumors that Michael Jackson had lightened his skin color.
LASER PIGMENT MY WARNING
When it comes to aesthetic cosmetic procedures, white areas can be covered by needle methods by placing special concealer pigments into the skin. However, there is a possibility that this method may delay the appearance and recognition of additional diseases. In addition, it is important to control it when the disease is healed or because the pigment reduction applied over time will lead to color differences in the future. Another purpose of use of aesthetic and cosmetic procedures is the application of drugs after needling methods and laser systems that can open very fine wells in the skin so that the drugs used in the treatment reach the skin. Another application is that a laser and light system with a special wavelength can stimulate the pigment in the skin and can be beneficial in the treatment alone. It is also recommended to use products with camouflage sunscreen.
A METHOD IN HAIR TRANSPLANTATION
In the treatment of vitiligo, if the disease is stable, hair transplantation can be used. Another practical surgical method is to take the hair from the colored hairy areas of the person and transplant it to the Vitiligo area with the method of hair transplantation in order to benefit from the stem cells in the existing hair in limited area involvement, areas where there is no hair. It is developed in special devices that make vitiligo surgery practical.
WHAT IS THE TREATMENT? IS IT DONE?
In the treatment, it is very important to evaluate the affected skin area, the rate of spread, the age of the patient and the accompanying diseases, if any. In the stepwise algorithmic treatment approach, the entire condition of the patient is evaluated. Treatment options include creams, drugs that affect immunity in the form of oral and injection, home-type or hospital-type phototherapy applications, laser systems, cosmetic applications, surgical approaches, treatments that regulate the oxidation system, and lightening the color of other areas.
HOLY INNOVATIONS
The most recent development is the approval of a skin-applicable form of a drug used in the treatment of vitiligo this year. The possibility of this drug coming to our country excites us doctors and patients as a search for innovation that we have been waiting for years. Another good development in recent years is that a kind of cholesterol drug targets the developmental stages of Vitiligo and provides treatment by affecting the immune system, oxidation state, and overworked structures in the circulation. This drug, which is a cheap option in terms of cost, can be used in which patient and under what conditions, can be determined by the evaluation of dermatology, cardiology and endochronology departments together.
