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70 million people affected by skin disease

An autoimmune disease characterized by skin depigmentation, vitiligo has attained many stereotypes. This dermatological disease is not psychosomatic, but the consequences it causes on the lives of patients represent mental suffering. This disease affects 0.5 to 1% of the world's population.

The appearance of white spots on the body and face makes vitiligo recognizable. The disease, benign, causes a loss of cells responsible for skin color called melanocytes. The most common form of vitiligo is the one that extends over the entire body (face, hands and feet), but the spots may also be localized on a single part of the body, known as segmental vitiligo. According to the French Vitiligo Association, the disease "can occur at any time in one's life, regardless of age, skin tone or geographic origin".

This pathology can be the consequence of trauma or stress (pregnancy, bereavement) in the medical sense of the term, but it should certainly not be associated with the phenomenon of somatization. On the other hand, the psychological impact of the disease on those affected reveals a reality that is sometimes very difficult. Vitiligo needs to be tamed, it requires a form of acceptance on the part of the patient and calls for daily learning. Daring, facing people's gaze, undressing, freeing oneself from layers of protective clothing, are all difficulties that require significant mental strength and a certain patience.

The causes of vitiligo are linked to multiple factors, only some of which are genetic. It is therefore not a question of a hereditary disease but of the transmission of a terrain favorable to the development of the disease.

Among the preconceived ideas surrounding this disease, we find the fear of contagion. Sometimes confused with leprosy, vitiligo is repugnant and marks rejection.

Over the years, doctors and professionals have worked to better understand the disease. Today, treatments are emerging and restoring faith to suffering patients. Phototherapy, combined with the application of dermocorticoid creams or melanocyte grafts, is a conclusive approach in 7 to 8 out of 10 cases. Thanks to the action of ultraviolet rays, the skin on the face can regain its color. This repigmentation nevertheless remains quite a long process, ranging from 6 to 24 months. For generalized vitiligo, a faster treatment, in the form of a cream, from the molecule ruxolitinib would allow repigmentation of the face in approximately 50% of patients tested after six months.

(MH with AsD -EVG - Illustration picture: Chris Jarvis via Unsplash)

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