Are there any cures for vitiligo?

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There are a number of ways to alter the appearance of vitiligo without addressing its underlying cause. In mild cases, vitiligo patches can be hidden with makeup or other cosmetic solutions. If the affected person is pale-skinned, the patches can be made less visible by avoiding sunlight and the tanning of unaffected skin. However, exposure to sunlight is preferable in the long run, because it helps the melanocytes regenerate to allow the pigmentation to come back to its original color.

Repigmentation therapies to remove the white patches include corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, ultraviolet light and surgery, but they are not very effective. Current treatments include exposure to Narrow Band UV-B light, which seems to blur the edges of patches, and lightly freckling the affected areas. Immunomodulator creams are believed to cause repigmentation in some cases, but there is no scientific study yet to back this claim. Other more dramatic treatments include chemically treating the patient to remove all pigment from the skin to present a uniform skin tone. This is used by applying Monobenzone.

In late October of 2004, doctors successfully transplanted melanocytes to vitiligo affected areas, effectively repigmenting the region. The procedure involved taking a thin layer of normally pigmented skin from the patient's "gluteal region". Melanocytes were then separated out and used to make a cellular suspension. The area to be treated was then ablated with a laser, and the melanocyte graft applied. Three weeks later, the area was exposed to UV light repeatedly for two months. Between 73 and 84 percent of patients experienced nearly complete repigmentation of their skin. The longevity of the repigmentation differed from patient to patient.

Other Answers:
What is it? I have never heard of it.

Please the webpages for more details on Vitiligo.
Source(s):
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000831.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitiligo

I really don't know. Micheal Jackson appears to have bleached the rest of his skin to match the white patches.

There are no cures for vitiligo.Look at michael jackson,the skin patches from his skin dissolved.

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Are there any cures for vitiligo?

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