I have created this web site for others who have Vitiligo and/or Alopecia Areata  (AA), and for those who have family or friends with Vitiligo or Alopecia. I'd like to share my knowledge and experiences with you, and it is my hope that you will find it both useful and encouraging.  Remember that I´m not an expert, I haven't tried every cure I´m describing. Don't try anything without checking with a physician.

Thanks Diana for your help with the English.

Vitiligo and AA have several similarities. Both conditions (or diseases?) are believed to be caused by the body's defense system attacking its own cells, and they are sometimes accompanied by thyroid problems. 

Please feel free to visit the "Anslagstavla" ( Message board ), where you can  share your experiences with Vitiligo or Alopecia. 

Vitiligo is a condition in which the skin's pigment gradually disappears, in patches. It occurs in 1-2% of the population, is just as likely to strike men or women, and it affects people of all races and skin colors. The onset of Vitiligo can occur in childhood, or at any age. Usually it begins around the joints, such as the knees, knuckles, or elbows. In the beginning, there may be just one spot, or a spot on every knuckle, and from there it typically spreads. The pigment disappears at different rates for different people, and it also varies from year to year. 

At this time, no one knows for sure what causes Vitiligo to start, or why the pigment disappears. One theory is that the body's defense system attacks its own cells. It is considered to have a genetic component, meaning that one's susceptibility to it is probably inherited. 

Vitiligo doesn't itch, in fact the only negative physical result is that it destroys your body's natural protection against the sun. If you are going to be exposed to sun for more than a short time, use a minimum of SPF 15 sunscreen, or wear clothing over the affected areas to avoid sunburn. 

Vitiligo mostly causes more psychological problems than physical. For anyone with Vitiligo, it can be very difficult to deal with. One feels stared at, and uncomfortable with it. On an American Vitiligo web site, I read that Vitiligo can affect psychological health even to the extent that it is difficult to get or keep a job. 

I first got Vitiligo when I was around six years old. It started on my knees - when a scab fell off, the pigment underneath was gone! Since then, the spots have continued to grow and spread to other areas. Now, the only place where I don't have spots is my back. 

Vitiligo distributes itself differently on different people. Some people may only get a few spots, and then it stops, while on others it continues to spread. I have many spots myself, and I still continue to get more. The photo on the left is from 1994, and the one on in the middle was taken in 1999. You can see that the spots grew larger during that time.  The photo on the right is from 2001, after 1,5 half year with Folic Acid,  B12 and UVB-light treatment.

It doesn't disturb me alot, except for having to use sunscreen all the time. If the spots continue to increase at the same rate that they have been, it won't be long before I am more depigmented than pigmented, and I'll be forced to wear long pants and long-sleeved tops in the summer instead of shorts and sleeveless tops. (This was written 1999 before my treatment but I leave it here) Many people with Vitiligo try to hide it; they avoid sun-bathing in public, and always dress so that the spots won't show. Because of this, there are more people with vitiligo than it seems. I'm glad that I've learned to live with my Vitiligo without being bothered by it. Presumably it has been easier for me, because it started when I was very young and not yet self-conscious about my looks. The spots on my face bother me the most, and I don't want to become so depigmented that I can no longer go out in the sun. It's also hard that the spots changed appearance. Earlier I had some spots with clear borders, but in the past year or so the edges on new spots have become more blurred. Luckily the blurred spots respond better to the treatment with Folic Acid and B12 as the pigment comes back evenly. The spots with clear border gets pigment outside in, and leaves the center white.  Something bad (blurred spots) turned to something good (responds).

The "cures" described are available in Sweden, maybe you can find something similar in your country.

Right now there is no 100% cure for Vitiligo. For those who have stable spots, i.e. spots that have stopped growing, skin transplants are an option. This operation is performed at the Academic hospital in Uppsala. It involves taking pigmented skin and attaching it to the white skin. I wouldn't consider skin transplants for myself now, but if I get large, stable spots on my face I might consider it. It would be nice to get rid of it, but it doesn't bother me enough to go through such a drastic treatment. 

Another method of treatment is psoralen pills. Psoralen's results are not permanent, and it is not an approved drug at this time (In Sweden) - probably due to the risk of side effects. Physicians who are conducting research on Vitiligo may be able to prescribe it. I used psoralen when I was 14-16 years old, and it did remove almost all of the spots that I had at that time. The negative side to psoralen treatment was that the spots disappeared only after I had burned the skin. The pigment returned to my knees only after they became so burned that they had developed large blisters. I tried psoralen treatment again a couple of years ago, and kept it up for two years, but I didn't get much pigment back. Maybe the treatment doesn't give results until the third year? 

B-vitamins and light treatments, occasionally in combination with psoralen, can also give results. The B-vitamins used are Folic Acid (available at the pharmacy) and B 12. Physicians can prescribe Folacin, which is the same as Folic Acid but a much stronger dose, and the strong B 12: Betolvex. It is recommended that you take the Folic Acid and B 12 in conjunction with sunbathing. 

Pabamin is a product that is made by Skip for bodybuilders. Pabamin contains Paba, which is a part of the Folic Acid molecule (according to Skip). Skip says in its advertisement that Pabamin can be used to treat Vitiligo. Paba could be find in most countries. In the U.S. there is also liquid Paba (DMAE H-3 from Twin Lab) which could be used directly on the spots.

Alternative treatments may also be useful. There are several people trying different herbs and vitamins, or special diets, like non-dairy and non-meat diet. On Internets Vitiligo Support Group, they often discuss the different treatments they've tried or heard about. 

In Sweden, Folic Acid and B12 togheter transplants are the most reliable method of treatment. Meanwhile, the  research continues until they find a true cure. In other countries, transplants may not be offered until you have tried the other treatments first. 

Remember that all cures (except surgical) should be in combination with sunexposure. Be carefull, don't burn yourself.

If you want to know more about treatment in Cuba, try this link: http://www.deltapimuzik.com/vitiligo.htm

I have been taking Folic Acid and vitamin B12 since Spring 2000. I haven't been eating any meat or dairy since Autumn 1999, and I take as much sun as I can - outdoors in the summertime, and UVB-light in the winter. The result is very good. I got some new pigment during the Summer of 2000, and it's even better since I started the light treatment. Almost every spot has new freckles, and some of the spots even have light brown color in bigger areas. The photo above shows the result after summer 2001.  I got some pigment back even before I started with Folic Acid, B12 and UVB. I think that's due to my birth control pills, because it's a brand that could give sun-sensitivity as a side effect. I also take CoQ10 every day, and some think that Q10 and Folic Acid is a good combination. 

Several years ago I took Folic Acid and B12 for one year, and at that time it didn't help at all. 

There isn't a lot of good information about Vitiligo on the net. In Swedish, I haven't found anything good. In English there is a book about how Vitiligo was  cured through diet, it's called Emily's Vitiligo.  An American Association has the address: http://www.nvfi.org.  The English Vitiligo Society has the address: http://www.vitiligosociety.org.uk   This page gave me a lot of  information: http://www.nih.gov/niams/healthinfo/vitiligo.htm. A Swedish site in English which essentially is written by scientists for other scientists: The Vitiligo Group. Join the Yaohoo Vitiligo club with messages, chats and more: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/vitiligosupportgroup or join this even more active club: http://www.vitiligosupport.com.  Get inspired by Calico. 

In Swedish, the common name of the disease is "spotty hairloss". The hair falls out and leaves bald spots. On some people there are only a couple of small spots, while others can have more bald spots than hair. If all hair on the head falls out, it's called Areata Totalis, and if the rest of the body hair fallsout as well it's called Areata Universalis. Like Vitiligo, Alopecia Areata is believed to be caused by the body's defense system attacking its own cells. Unlike Vitiligo, with Alopecia sometimes hair will grow back after a few months, and at the same time a new bald spot will develop in another place. You're more likely to return to normal hairgrowth with Alopecia Areata, than with any of the other forms. The disease is thought to be caused by stress, although that wasn't what triggered it in my case. Vitiligo and Alopecia are related diseases, but it's unusual for them to both strike the same person. I first got Alopecia when I was in my early teens. I lost all the hair on the back of my neck, and the eyelashes from one eyelid. As I already had Vitiligo, I was accustomed to looking "weird". Because of the Vitiligo, the disease wasn't a catastrophe, despite my being at what is supposed to be a sensitive age. I had the disease until I was 35, and then, after three years, spots did appeare  in my neck again. Two spots that was'nt followed by others. So they came and they disappeared in a year.

Often I had two to three bald spots about the size of a silver dollar, and several smaller ones at the same time. They remained for a number of months, then hair grew back and at the same time fell out in other places. For example, the eyelashes on one eye have fallen off three times. The first and second time they were gone for more than a year, while the third time they grew back in a matter of months. The lashes grow back short and white at first, before returning to long and black again.

On the image to the left below, some of the minor spots can be seen. Along with the small spots, I have a large one near the forehead. I covered it with long bangs to this short hairdo. It didn't work as well as I would have liked, as you can see on the image to the right (encircled, I have a round edge of scalp).

At first I had long hair and combed over the spots. In my late teens, I changed tactics, and cut the hair short. For example, when I got a large spot above the ear, I shaved away all the hair on that side. On the image above, you can see that my neck is partly shaved in order to "hide" the bald spots there. Sometimes I shaved in a pattern with the spots as basis. I prefer utilizing them as part of a style rather than concealing them and being ashamed of them. It was certainly easier for me than it would be for those with larger spots. Some people have spots of hairloss so large that they have to wear wigs. 

Just as with most other diseases that affect one's looks, Alopecia can be difficult for many.
Here is a quote (interpreted from English to Swedish and then back again): "It's fairly well-hidden beneath my other hair, but it still drives me mad occasionally! I never go in front of fans, I never go in a jeep with the roof off, I love to do things outdoors but I can never get any pleasure from it."Even if we in Sweden don't have to worry about fans and roofless cars, the quote shows you how it can make one feel. Others write that they have difficulty getting up in the morning and facing the world.

Follow the Keratin link. There is no cure you can rely on but there are several to try.

You get a lot of good information at Keratin's Alopecia Areata-page. Read also Paul's story or Harry´s alopecia areata page or  Per: Living with Alopecia Areata. 

Yahoo has an Alopecia Areata club and an Alopecia Areata chat. The address is: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/alopeciaareatasupportgroup