Red langur is one of the most popular types of vitiligo. The clinical manifestation of the disease is the appearance of red, pink spots and macules, concentrated mainly on the upper body, without causing pain and itching. With proper care and treatment, skin damage can be completely relieved in just a few weeks.
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What is vitiligo?
Pityriasis versicolor is a superficial fungal infection caused by the fungus Pityrosporum ovale (Malassezia fungus), resulting in the appearance of hyperpigmentation or maculopapular lesions. In the case of a lesion called rosacea, it is called vitiligo.
Similar to vitiligo, vitiligo is painless and less itchy (itching only when the body sweats too much). However, the damage to the skin due to this pathology significantly affects appearance and psychological factors.
Cyanosis in general and vitiligo in particular are common in people living in hot and humid weather – especially teenagers. In addition, the disease can also occur in infants, children and very rarely occurs in the elderly.
Characteristics of red benign langur
The red and the white langur are easy to spot. You can easily distinguish these two types of vitiligo through the color and shape of the skin lesions.
The signs to recognize vitiligo:
- The skin appears red spots or a maculopapular rash with pink in the pores
- The skin lesions are initially small, scattered, then gradually spread and join together into large patches (can be polymorphic, oval, round, …).
- Skin lesions are pale to dark pink in color
- In some cases, skin lesions may appear as diverse colors as pink, brown, dark brown and white.
- Skin damage does not cause pain, discomfort and itching. Some cases may experience mild itching during high body temperature and heavy sweating
- Scarlet fever usually appears in the upper half of the body and is concentrated mainly in areas of skin that excrete a lot of sebum
- Skin lesions caused by vitiligo have a smooth surface, forming a fine white powder dust when scraped
According to experts, red and white langurongs have almost the same characteristics, only differ in color. The reason that damage caused by the fungus Pityrosporum ovale is often white is because this fungus produces azelaic acid – a dicarboxylic acid capable of inhibiting, destroying melanocytes and preventing the transport of melanin to the cell. epidermal cells.
In vitiligo, maculopapular lesions may be the result of the body’s inflammatory response to the harmful yeast TB.
Pictures of scarlet fever
The cause of vitiligo
The direct cause of vitiligo is the fungus Malassezia – a fungus that resides on the skin. Usually, this fungus lives in limited numbers and plays a role in balancing the microflora.
However, this is a dimorphic, lipid-dependent fungus (fat), so it can thrive and switch from yeast cells to mycelium if the body excretes too much sebum. Fungal morphology is a direct factor in the appearance of clinical manifestations. Pityrosporum ovale is a fungus that is permanent on the skin. Therefore, only when the conditions are right, the fungus thrives and causes vitiligo.
Factors that increase the risk of vitiligo:
- Living in hot and humid weather: This is one of the factors that increase the risk of vitiligo and other common fungal skin diseases. This is because when the weather is hot and humid, the skin excretes more sweat and sebum than usual to regulate body temperature and cool the body. However, this condition can cause the yeast to absorb lipids, thrive, change structure and cause skin damage.
- Hormone imbalance: Hormones are considered to play a role in the mechanism of vitiligo. The sudden increase in the hormone androgen (a hormone produced during puberty) can cause the skin to excrete more sebum and increase the risk of vitiligo. In addition, an imbalance between the hormones progesterone and estrogen can also disrupt the sebaceous glands and increase the risk of fungal skin infections.
- Sebaceous Disorders: A sebaceous gland disorder can cause the skin to excrete too much excess oil and promote the growth of lipid-dependent fungi. This usually occurs in children and infants because the sebaceous glands are not yet fully developed.
- Poor hygiene : Poor hygiene is considered a favorable factor that increases the risk of vitiligo and tinea versicolor. This is a condition for sebum, dead skin and dirt to accumulate in the hair follicles, thereby promoting the growth of fungi and causing clinical manifestations.
- Weakened immune system: The bacteria and yeasts that reside on the skin are only in limited numbers and are controlled by beneficial bacteria. However, when the immune system weakens, beneficial bacteria decline, making it easier for yeast to grow and damage the skin. Therefore, people with poor immune systems (children, people with diabetes, long-term steroid use, …) are susceptible to recurrence of vitiligo after treatment.
- Some other factors: In addition, vitiligo can also flare up when there are favorable factors such as overweight, obesity, high-fat diet, sugar, use of birth control pills during the period. long, drinking, …
Vitiligo affects mainly adolescents, young people, and young children. The disease rarely occurs in the elderly because at this age, the activity of the sebaceous glands declines sharply, making the yeast less able to grow.
Is vitiligo dangerous? Is it contagious?
Both ringworm and superficial fungal infections are capable of infection through direct and indirect contact. So when you suffer from this pathology, you should notify those around you to actively take preventive measures. Contact with intermediate objects such as blankets, pillows, towels, … can also infect the pathogen.
In particular, tinea versicolor spread strongly when the weather is hot and humid and there are favorable factors such as poor body hygiene, overactive sebaceous glands and a weakened immune system.
Vitiligo in general and vitiligo in particular are benign dermatological diseases, which do not cause burning pain or discomfort. When the body sweats a lot, skin lesions can be itchy, but the level of itching is negligible. Although it does not affect the health and does not cause as many nuisances as eczema – eczema, but vitiligo can reduce the aesthetic factor of the skin, significantly impacting appearance and psychology.
Moreover, because the disease is highly contagious, people with the disease easily develop confidence and often refuse to participate in group play activities. In addition, the lesions caused by vitiligo can also spread over a wide range and seriously affect the appearance without actively implementing treatment and treatment measures.
Diagnosis of vitiligo
Lesions caused by vitiligo can be mistaken for a number of conditions with similar clinical manifestations. So, before the intervention of treatment, the doctor requires performing the following diagnostic techniques:
- Clinical examination
- Fresh screening test for fungi
- Look at the lesion under a Wood light
Cyanosis can also be differentially diagnosed with stage 2 syphilis, Gibert rosacea and seborrheic dermatitis.
The treatment methods of vitiligo
Vitiligo is a benign disease that does not cause itching or discomfort. However, the disease cannot go away on its own, requiring therapeutic intervention to inhibit the fungus and improve skin damage.
The preferred treatment for this pathology is the use of drugs and preparations in the topical form. In the absence of a response, the disease recurs many times and the lesion occurs on a large scale, the doctor may consider and prescribe systemic therapy.
For mild cases of vitiligo, you can also combine with some folk remedies to increase the effectiveness of treatment and limit the resistance of fungus.
The treatment methods for vitiligo:
1. Use topical + oral medication
First, the doctor will prescribe topical anti-fungal agents to clear the fungus from the skin. Once the yeast is under control, the skin damage will subside and completely recover.
Some topical drugs are used to treat tinea versicolor:
- Topical drugs contain antifungal active ingredients such as Ketoconazole, Ciclopirox, Terbinafine, …
- Zinc pyrithioine, Selenium sulfide is used in the absence of response to preparations containing antifungal active ingredients.
- Some other topical drugs such as Benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, salicylic acid, … These drugs do not affect the fungus but can reduce the sebum on the skin, thereby preventing the fungus from having no source of lipid absorption and Destroyed gradually over time
In the event that topical treatment fails, the disease recurs many times, and the lesion spreads over a large area, the doctor may consider systemic therapy. This remedy is for adults only, and your doctor will do a liver function test before prescribing it.
The oral drugs used to treat vitiligo:
- Fluconazole 400mg / time / day or 300mg / time / week for 2 weeks
- Itraconazole used 200mg / 2 times / day or 200mg / time / day for 5 consecutive days
In case of systemic treatment failure, the doctor will evaluate the patient’s adherence to treatment and immune status. Then the fungus culture will be cultured and appropriate antibiotic.
2. Supporting the treatment of vitiligo with herbs
Besides taking topical and oral medications, you can also combine herbs to inhibit yeast and reduce skin damage.
Some herbs help control vitiligo:
- Use red benign lettuce: Chemical ingredients such as alpha-humulene, beta-caryophyllene, decanol, … in laksa leaves are effective in reducing inflammation and preventing the overgrowth of fungi that reside on the skin. . In addition, this essential oil from this herb is also effective in relieving itching and discomfort. To support the treatment of vitiligo, you can apply lettuce juice or apply laksa leaves on the damaged skin 1-2 times / day.
- Betel Leaf Oil : The essential oil from betel leaves has not been shown to be effective in inhibiting bacteria, fungi, and viruses that commonly cause skin diseases. In case of widespread damage, you can cook betel leaf juice and use daily bath to support treatment. To increase the antifungal effect, you can add a little sea salt and fresh ginger.
- Use of saffron wine: Using saffron wine to cure red benign is a remedy originating from folk. In particular, the ethanol in alcohol has the effect of cleaning sebum, excess oil and limiting the growth of lipid-dependent yeast. Turmeric provides many beneficial vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that promote skin cell regeneration and recovery. Applying turmeric alcohol to damaged skin 1-2 times a day can control yeast growth and aid in the effectiveness of medical treatments.
- Green bananas treat red benign: According to folk experience, the resin of green bananas has the effect of destroying fungi, bacteria and viruses. Therefore, people often apply slices of green bananas to the affected areas to remove harmful fungi and reduce itching.
Tips for curing tinea versicolor from natural herbs are highly benign and safe. However, these remedies only support treatment. Therefore, you should combine with medical methods to completely destroy the yeast, reduce skin damage and prevent reinfection.
Care regimen – prevention of recurrence of vitiligo
Vitiligo is a highly infectious skin disease. Therefore, besides treatment measures, you should implement appropriate care regimen to avoid infecting healthy people and minimize reinfection.
Care measures to help prevent recurrence of vitiligo:
- Hygiene is the most important measure in treating and preventing recurrence of vitiligo. Bathing 1-2 times / day helps to remove dirt, dead skin and sebum, thereby reducing the amount of lipids on the skin and limiting the growth of Malassezia fungus.
- Avoid direct contact and do not use personal items with healthy people. In addition, it is necessary to wash clothes, blankets, pillows, … with soap and dry in the sun to completely destroy the fungus. This method can reduce the risk of fungal infection by those around you and minimize re-infection.
- To limit sebum secretion, drink plenty of water, avoid outdoor activities in hot and humid weather and eat lots of green vegetables and fruits. In addition, avoid hot spicy foods that contain a lot of sugar, fat and spices.
- While being treated for vitiligo, activities that cause excessive sweating should be limited. Instead, you should swim to minimize the skin secreting too much sebum.
- A weakened immune system is a favorable condition for the yeast to thrive and cause widespread skin damage. Therefore, in addition to skin cleansing and medication use, eat and drink in moderation to support the treatment process.
- In the case of repeated recurrence of vitiligo, a doctor can be found for examination and counseling on preventive treatment. To avoid re-infection, the doctor may order an antifungal shampoo, apply to the entire body and rinse after 10 minutes (done once a month). Or can take Itraconazole 200mg / time / month in hot and humid months.
Red langur is one of the common types of vitiligo. Although it does not cause as many nuisances as eczema, but this pathology has a significant influence on the aesthetic factor. So as soon as you notice an abnormal manifestation, it is necessary to proactively examine and treat the skin damage in the shortest time.
