Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease that affects our skin. The melanocytes in our body that produce the melanin are destroyed, turning those areas a milky white. It can appear just about anywhere on the body and can have a symmetrical feature on the body.
The skin affected can also make the hairs lose their colour and are prone to burning because of the lack of melanin, so sun cream must always be applied. Sadly, when it is something so visible, it can have a profound effect on confidence and self-esteem.
In some cases, the condition can change the colour of your eyes and affect your hearing. Currently, researchers have not come up with a cure for this autoimmune disease, but they are trying to find a link to why this happens.
Whilst there is no cure, there are treatments available now to help restore the colour that has been lost. Micropigmentation can only be carried out if the affected area has been dormant for a minimum of seven years.
Medical micropigmentation is an option that can put colour back into the skin. Three treatments are recommended every four to six weeks as the colour needs to be built up until there is a similar match to the natural skin tone. This procedure can be carried out on most areas of the body. A colour test Is used first to determine what the skin grabs before following with the treatment. Immediately after each treatment, the skin goes red but calms down after a few days, leaving the colour implanted.
We can use different techniques to mimic the skin, such as shallow, mosaic and acrylic techniques. All these techniques over each visit ensure a natural look using medically graded pigments specially formulated for camouflage.
The colour lasts between one and three years and will fade over time, so a colour boost is recommended every year to ensure the colour tones with your skin.
Donna Groom is a beauty therapist and medical micropigmentation specialist.
