{"id":360,"date":"2021-07-14T13:31:54","date_gmt":"2021-07-14T05:31:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vitiligo.skinmedical.com.hk\/faq\/"},"modified":"2024-08-07T14:25:32","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T06:25:32","slug":"faq","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vitiligo.skinmedical.com.hk\/en\/faq\/","title":{"rendered":"FAQ"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Frequently Asked Questions<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Why does vitiligo occur? Why was I chosen?<\/span><\/strong>
Vitiligo is a non-contagious autoimmune disease, which means that our own immune system mistakenly considers the melanocytes in our skin as enemies. As a result, the amount of melanin gradually decreases, causing irregular white spots\/patches to appear on the skin.<\/span>
Vitiligo can occur in any gender and race, affecting about 0.1-2% of the global population or about 70 million people; research has found that about 80% of vitiligo is related to genetic factors; the remaining 20% can be attributed to environmental or other factors. <\/span>

Is vitiligo contagious?<\/span><\/strong>
Vitiligo is not contagious.<\/span>

Are beauty treatments useful?<\/span><\/strong>
The pathology and triggers of vitiligo are particularly complex, involving both genetic inheritance and environmental factors. Even in cases of familial inheritance, or identical twins (who have the same genes), there is only a 25% chance that they will both develop vitiligo. Despite having the same genes, they will not experience the same environmental\/chemical exposure\/skin trauma\/emotional events\/environmental stress, etc.

Medical assessment and clinical treatment are very important for the progress of vitiligo treatment. Beauty treatments do not have medical clinical recognition, misuse or overuse of optical devices, or the use of unknown drugs in folk remedies, can lead to unpredictable development\/worsening of vitiligo, and even trigger other skin problems. Improper use of laser treatment can damage the pigment cells of healthy skin, forming white sesame spots similar to vitiligo. For medical treatment of vitiligo, please seek the assistance of a registered doctor.<\/span>

Can changing lifestyle habits help in the treatment of vitiligo?<\/span><\/strong>
Although we do not fully understand the triggering mechanism of vitiligo, some known environmental factors can cause adverse stress to vitiligo, such as: exposure to high temperatures and intense sun, contact with chemicals, and skin trauma (including tattooing, eyebrow microblading, laser whitening, chemical peels, etc.) should be avoided.<\/span>

How to seek the right treatment?<\/span><\/strong>
Vitiligo should be clinically diagnosed and followed up by a registered doctor. About 30% of patients have a family history, or involve various gene mutations, and may also have the same gene mutations as other autoimmune diseases, such as: thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.; in addition to initially asking the patient's medical history\/family history, the doctor will also confirm whether the patient has other autoimmune diseases through blood tests. For detailed medical evaluations, please refer to here<\/a>\u3002<\/span>

How to help children and adolescents cope with vitiligo?<\/span><\/strong>
The appearance of irregular white spots and patches on various parts of the skin not only causes great psychological distress to children and adolescents, but also leads to peer exclusion\/bullying; it also causes great heartache and guilt for parents. It is recommended that parents first sort out their feelings, understand that patients cannot choose to avoid the disease, and if vitiligo is unfortunately discovered, they should take their child to seek medical assistance as soon as possible, to understand the disease early and to find out if there are other autoimmune diseases, whether there were suspicious contact stress sources before the appearance of vitiligo...etc.<\/span>
When the doctor confirms a diagnosis of vitiligo and formulates a treatment plan, it is recommended that parents and the school communicate with each other as much as possible to instill correct and positive values, maintain optimism and positivity, face the situation bravely, and patiently receive medical treatment on time. At the same time, you can refer to some examples of vitiligo patients in society for encouragement, reestablish self-confidence, and love yourself.<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>