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Leucoderma - skin whitening is a very distressing skin condition that makes the sufferers feel embarrassed about having white patches on skin. Leucoderma is also called as Vitiligo, which means white skin. In this skin condition white color patches start appearing on the skin. This condition is the result of lack of skin pigment called melanin and this change in the skin takes place over a course of time. These white patches look ugly and if you have dark skin then the patches will look worse. This patches in no way indicate any kind of bad health but only thing they make you look ugly.
Many people mistake white patches on their skin for Leucoderma skin whitening but not all white patches that appear on skin are Leucoderma. Some patches are temporary and get vanished within few weeks or months. There are several reasons behind you getting temporary or permanent white patches on your skin. Burn injuries, Typhoid, worms in alimentary canal, jaundice and acute and chronic gastric problems are some of the common causes of Leucoderma. Leprosy is not same as Leucoderma but many people confuse between these two conditions.
Symptoms of Leucoderma -
Initially you will just see a single and very tiny white spot and soon it turns into several patches on the skin. In the primary stage these patches are pale in color but as the skin looses the melanin skin pigment, these patches will look white. Soon with time these separate patches on the skin mix with each other and several large size patches start appearing on the skin.
Causes of Leucoderma -
Many people know about the skin pigment melanin and also know that this melanin is very essential as it gives color to the skin. These skin pigment also protects the skin from the harsh sunrays. Due to Leucoderma, the skin stops producing melanin and starts loosing this skin pigment. Hence the areas of the skin from the melanin gets removed appears white. Soon these patches will spread to the scalp and then your hair will also become colorless.
The main reason behind the skin condition Leucoderma skin whitening is the malfunction of immune system. Along with this there are several other causes of Leucoderma like heredity, stress, burn injuries and the infection of intestine due to worms. Diabetes, hyperthyroidism and Addison's disease are some of the health conditions that can aggravate Leucoderma. But there is no need to worry as even if you have these health conditions there are very less chances of you getting Leucoderma.
Leucoderma can happen to anyone irrespective of age, sex, religion, region or race. But people suffering from this condition are less and only about 1% of the world population is suffering from it. This skin condition can affect any part of the skin and can happen to people belonging to any age group. But more than 95% cases of Leucoderma skin whitening have began in people below the age group of 40. About 30% of the people who have this skin problem have got it through heredity.
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