Systemic vitiligo usually does not cause itching, burning, red inflammation or discomfort. However, this pathology significantly affects aesthetics, psychology and quality of life. Furthermore, without treatment intervention, skin lesions tend to spread widely and increase the risk of infection to others.
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Get to know the whole body
Pityriasis versicolor is a common dermatological disease that occurs due to a yeast infection (mainly due to Pityrosporum orbiculare, also known as Malassezia furfur). The fungus that causes vitiligo usually lives on the skin’s surface and is dependent on lipids (fats in the sebum, excess oil).
Usually, the fungus is only present in limited quantities and is unlikely to cause any harm to the skin. However, when the conditions are right (hot and humid weather, poor hygiene, …), yeast can change its structure and attack the cells in the epidermis.
Damage to the skin due to vitiligo only changes skin pigmentation, does not cause itching, inflammation or discomfort like eczema – eczema . Even so, the appearance of vitiligo can affect appearance and psychological factors. Moreover, without treatment intervention, vitiligo can spread to a large extent and increase the risk of infection to others.
Signs of the whole body vitiligo:
- Appearance of white spots (vitiligo) or red, brown (vitiligo)
- The surface of vitiligo is usually flat and has a relatively clear boundary with the surrounding skin
- Doesn’t itch or it only causes itching rarely when the body sweats a lot
- Vitiligo may appear as small spots or plaques with varied shapes and sizes, but mainly oval or polygonal, the size ranges from 1-3cm.
- The surface of vitiligo has white, smooth and easy-scraping skin scales
In fact, vitiligo usually occurs in the skin of the upper half of the body (back, neck, face, arms) and rarely occurs in the lower back or legs.
The cause of systemic vitiligo
Yeast – mainly Malassezia furfur is the direct cause of vitiligo. This fungus is lipid dependent and capable of thriving in hot, humid and rainy weather. When grown in large numbers, the fungus secreting azelaic acid has the ability to slow down the transport of melanin cells, causing the infected skin to tend to be lighter in color than the surrounding skin.
For people with vitiligo, this condition is explained by inflammation of the body when infected. Similar to white tincture, tinea versicolor is hardly painful, itchy or uncomfortable.
In fact, the fungus Malassezia furfur is part of the skin’s microbiota. However, this fungus only overgrowths, changes its structure and causes vitiligo when there are the following favorable factors:
- The weather is hot, humid, and rainy
- The sebaceous gland is overactive
- Hormones are disrupted
- Poor body hygiene
- Poor diet (often using sugar, alcohol, hot spicy foods, processed, …)
- Contact with someone who is sick or sharing personal items
- The immune system is weakened
How to cure vitiligo whole body
Although it does not cause pain or discomfort, vitiligo the whole body significantly affects appearance, psychological factors and quality of life. Moreover, this pathology is also highly contagious and re-infectious. Therefore, when you have whole body vitiligo, you need to proactively treat it to improve the skin condition, limit the risk of infection and recurrence.
In the case of highly atypical skin lesions, a doctor should be consulted to make a diagnosis and rule out dermatological problems with symptoms similar to dry eczema, Gibert pink psoriasis, vitiligo, seborrheic dermatitis , …
1. Use the whole body medicine for vitiligo
The preferred treatment of vitiligo and fungal dermatological diseases is the use of topical medications. However, in cases of systemic vitiligo (widespread vitiligo), an oral antifungal may be considered if topical treatment fails.
Several drugs are used to treat systemic vitiligo, including:
- Antifungal topical: Antifungal topical medications are the most commonly used medication for the treatment of vitiligo. Commonly used medications are Ketoconazole, Terbinafine or Ciclopirox. These drugs have the ability to inhibit the yeast causing vitiligo in 14 – 28 days (depending on the case).
- Antifungal Shampoos: For tinctures that occur in the head, your doctor may prescribe an antifungal shampoo that contains Ketoconazole. If the fungus is resistant to the azol group of antifungal drugs, it can be replaced with Zinc pyrithione or Selenium sulfide.
- ASA: ASA is a topical medication that is prepared in the form of a solution. This medicine contains Ethanol (alcohol) and Acetylsalicylic acid. The drug has the effect of dehydrating the epidermis and removing dead cells from the skin’s surface. ASA is highly effective in treating vitiligo and fungal skin diseases. However, this drug is only suitable for vitiligo occurring in a small scale.
- Some other topical drugs: In addition, your doctor can also prescribe some other topical drugs such as sulfur, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, … The advantage of these topicals is that they are relatively low cost, easy to use. effective, but can cause burning, skin irritation and only suitable for small skin lesions.
After treatment, the area of skin decreased / hyperpigmentation caused by vitiligo takes several months to recover. Therefore, a fresh fungal microscopy should be performed to assess the effectiveness of the methods and should not be assessed through clinical manifestations.
For those that do not respond to topical treatment, your doctor may prescribe a number of systemic antifungal drugs such as:
- Fluconazole 300mg / week for 2 weeks or 400mg / 2 times / only for 1 day
- Itraconazole used 200mg / day for 5 days or 400mg / 2 times / only for 1 day
Oral antifungal drugs can cause liver toxicity. Therefore, people with hepatitis or chronic liver disease should inform their doctor about treatment changes. In addition, systemic treatment is not available in young children.
2. Treatment of whole body vitiligo with herbs
In addition to using topical and oral medications as directed by your doctor, you can also take advantage of some natural herbs that have antifungal properties to aid the treatment process. In fact, combining both herbs with special medicines is highly effective, reducing the spread of vitiligo and resistant yeast.
– Use ginger to treat benign herbs:
Ginger is not just a common spice but also used as a medicine. Cineol in this herb has been shown to effectively inhibit bacteria, viruses, parasites, and yeasts. Although less effective in preventing fungus than Western drugs, but remedies from ginger rarely develop resistance.
If done with persistence, this remedy can reduce the number of fungi on the skin, aid in the recovery of reduced skin or hyperpigmentation.
Doing:
- Prepare 300g fresh ginger, sliced and put in the jar
- Pour 1 liter of alcohol in and soak for 7 – 10 days to use
- Before using, should clean the skin to be treated
- Then, use a cotton ball to soak the ginger alcohol mixture and apply it to the skin
- Wait to dry, then apply 2-3 more layers (do not rinse with water)
– Add tea tree oil to the bath water:
Tea tree oil is commonly used to treat acne and facial skin care. Besides, this material is also used to treat dermatological diseases caused by fungi such as onychomycosis, vitiligo, ringworm, … thanks to its strong antifungal properties. In addition, some studies also show that active ingredients in tea tree oil have the ability to inhibit inflammatory and allergic reactions on the skin.
Implementation Guide:
- Add 7 – 10 drops of tea tree oil to the bath water
- Or apply tea tree oil directly to the area of the skin that needs treatment 2-3 times / day
– Use galangal root to treat benign:
Galangal is a familiar spice to the Vietnamese. Besides stimulating the taste buds and enhancing the flavor of dishes, galangal is also used to treat skin diseases and treat colds. Research shows that this herbal extract inhibits bacteria that often cause infections in respiratory organs, skin and some yeasts such as Malassezia furfur, Candida, …
Doing:
- Apply fresh galangal to crush the skin to be treated
- Rinse again after 15 – 20 minutes
- Or squeeze galangal to get juice, use cotton to absorb the fluid and apply to the entire skin needing treatment
- Should apply 3-5 layers and wait for the suspension to dry completely before rinsing with water
In fact, the tips for treating generalized vitiligo with natural herbs are just as supportive. Moreover, some methods are not really recognized scientifically. Therefore, you should not be too dependent on these remedies. Instead, it is necessary to adhere to the treatment according to the doctor’s instructions in combination with a scientific regimen of care.
How to care and prevent recurrence of vitiligo
Dermatological diseases caused by fungi in general and vitiligo in particular are highly infectious and re-infectious. So besides the medical methods, you need to coordinate with the proper care regimen to destroy the fungus completely and prevent infection to others.
Care regime to support treatment and prevention of systemic vitiligo:
- Good hygiene is the most important measure in treating vitiligo. To prevent skin damage from spreading, you should shower twice a day with bath lotions that contain antibacterial and antifungal ingredients.
- It is recommended to dry completely before getting dressed. At the same time, clothes should be thoroughly washed and dried before being worn.
- In hot and humid weather, it is advisable to wear loose clothing and absorbent materials to avoid excessive sweating and excessive body temperature increase.
- Wash clothes, pillows, mattresses, … regularly with soap and need to dry in the sun to completely destroy the buildup of yeast.
- Do not be exposed to direct sunlight and should avoid activities that cause excessive sweating. Overactive sebum is a favorable factor for yeast to grow and spread the damaged skin.
- Avoid using foods and drinks that disturb the sebaceous glands such as sugar, fast foods, processed foods, alcohol, coffee, etc. At the same time, you should not smoke and use stimulants.
- Actively inform family members of medical conditions to minimize the risk of infection.
- For people who have recurrences of vitiligo many times, you should notify your doctor for preventive treatment. To prevent recurrence of vitiligo, your doctor may prescribe Itraconazole orally at a dose of 200mg once a day (for 1 day for 1 month only) or apply Selenium sulfide / Ketoconazole shampoo to the entire body and rinse. after 10-15 minutes (to be done once a month). Preventive treatment is usually done at times of high temperature and humidity.
The article has guided some treatment, care and prevention of systemic vitiligo. Hopefully, through the above information, readers can easily recognize and control this pathology. In case of vitiligo occurs over a large area or recurs many times, a dermatologist should be consulted to assess the skin condition and intervene with appropriate treatment methods.
