Rashes and itches are common on baby’s skin; however, as a parent, you should take notice whenever you see small patches of discoloured skin on your newborn’s body. It can be an early sign of Vitiligo.

It is a medical condition where a person’s immune system attacks the melanocytes of his/her body. It causes localised suppression of these cells, causing a melanin loss in certain areas on the skin. The absence of melanin, a pigment responsible for skin colour, is one of the vitiligo causes which leads to white spots on an individual.

This medical condition is not fatal, infectious or contagious. However, it can be dreadful to see your children with this autoimmune disease. As a parent, you can follow some steps to prevent, and even cure early stages of leucoderma in babies.

Identifying the medical condition

There are plenty of symptoms that show an early occurrence of this skin condition on a children’s body. These include –

• Patches of white skin.

• Discolouration ranging from faint to almost pale white on various parts of the body.

• Greying of hair, eyebrow, eyelashes, etc.

• In some cases, you might also notice discolouration inside the inner part of one’s mouth and nose.

Vitiligo in children may develop from an early age and can cover almost the entire body by the age of 4 or 5 years. An individual can be affected by any one of the following two types of conditions.

1. Segmental Vitiligo – It is a form of localised skin condition where the discolouration occurs in only one location. It usually doesn’t spread throughout the body. Segmental conditions are usually rarer types.

2. Non-segmental Vitiligo – It is the more common form of the autoimmune disease where the spots spread all across the body.

Preventing this skin disease

Thankfully, there are several types of Vitiligo treatment available in the form of over the counter drugs that you can use to treat your child.

• Corticosteroid creams – You can prevent the Vitiligo skin from spreading with the help of corticosteroid creams. It is a topical steroid cream, well known for treating localised leucoderma. Despite their effectiveness, you should not use these types of creams extensively to initiate re-pigmentation of your child’s skin. Because of its chemical content, these steroids can slow down a child’s growth and can induce several other health problems as they grow older.

• Calcineurin Inhibitors – Another common Vitiligo cure is calcineurin inhibitors, a form of drug used to suppress a person’s immune system. It is extremely effective to prevent rapid progression of the condition. However, like any other types of chemical inhibitors, it can also create side effects that may result in lifelong dependence on medicines.

• Phototherapy – Many parents often opt for surgical Vitiligo treatment because of its effectiveness in both early and late cases. Doctors pair UVA and UVB exposed along with other types of therapies to accelerate the healing of this skin condition amongst children.

There are many ways how you can prevent and cure Vitiligo in children. You should also keep in mind the physiological impact of this disorder and offer a helping hand whenever needed during the treatment.