Prashant (name changed) was 39 years old when he visited the AIS clinic for the treatment of white patches on his skin. He had been suffering from this condition since he was 20 years old. At first, he got a few patches on his hands, but gradually, they grew to cover a large area of his face, back, hands, and
abdomen. Years of treatments didn’t help in reversing his condition, and to be honest, he didn’t have much hope left for getting better. It is understandable how the white patches made others around him uncomfortable, which in turn greatly stressed Prashant. The white patches robbed his natural confidence and flamboyance, forcing him to go into a shell and avoid social gatherings.
Prashant’s skin was examined using Wood’s lamp – a device for diagnosing the extent of pigmentation or depigmentation patches. Doctors found out that in his case the patches were completely depigmented. Prashant was diagnosed with Vitiligo.
Prashant had a family history of Vitiligo. His paternal aunt had the same condition. The detailed
examination further revealed that Prashant had a Koebner response – the Koebner phenomenon is a condition where a patient develops new patches after skin trauma. So, Prashant would develop new patches on his skin wherever he got injured or hurt.
Considering his medical history and lifestyle, the doctors prescribed him the homeopathy medicine, Staphysagria.
Depigmented skin sunburns easily and bad sunburn can worsen vitiligo. Prashant was advised to avoid direct sunlight between 10 am to 4 pm. If it was inevitable for him to step out in the sun during this period, he was strongly recommended to apply sunscreen. He was also warned against getting any tattoos on his body as it flares up Vitiligo.
For the first 3 months since the start of his treatment at AIS Clinic, there were no visible changes in white patches. However, changing the strength of the medicine triggered his immune response and the white patches on Prashant’s skin started re-pigmenting. It took a committed two-year medication course to fully cure Prashant. But finally, after suffering from white patches for over two decades, Prashant got his normal skin tone back!
* Vitiligo, or white patches, is an auto-immune disorder triggered when the immune system attacks the pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. Vitiligo, with the right diagnosis and treatment, is treatable and reversible. You don’t have to live with Vitiligo. You can win over it!