skin pigmentation ?????

[milesysgirl]

hi i have some white patches on my shoulder which have appeared in the last couple of monthes i went to the doctors this am and he has reffered me to the hospital skin consultant he didnt really say much and he got a needle type thing and pricked my white bits with it ?????? anyone with any ideas or experience with this ?

bump ... anyone???

I have white patches on my skin and have a condition called vitiligo - it could be that - I'll see if I can find a link for you.

It's not life-threatening or anything - more of a PITA really!!!!

here
It might be this - but probably best to wait and see what your doctor says!

thanks for that ,that really sounds like it as i have a thyroid problem as well, has yours got any worse ?is there any treatment for it?

yeah thats def what the doctor mentioned do you know what they will do at the hospital??

Mine has got a little worse over the last couple of years, but TBH it was pretty bad from the word go. It started when I was about 20.

Pretty sure there's no cure and there might be some sort of laser treatment, I think, but it's not v. successful and not sure it's available on NHS. If the patches really bother you, you can get some sort of camouflage makeup to cover them up.

I've never actually been to a doctor about it. I knew about the condition anyway (was a Blue Peter fan as a child, and Yvette Fielding has it, and did an article on it), and when I suspected I had it I just read up about it on the web, and asked on here if there were any other sufferers.

I would be interested to hear what the doctor / hospital says to you, if you don't mind though. As I've never been and asked the doctor about it. Would you mind telling me what they say?

Thanks - sorry I can't be more help!!!

Jonesthesteam, I also have virtilgo. You should probably go to the dr's & have some blood test. Can be linked to thyroid conditions. Mine is ok at the mo, but needs to be checked in 5 mths time.

Also need to remember that as there in no melanin, will burn badly if exposed to sun.

I've got it round my eyes & under my arms. My consultant said it tends to be symetrical - how very kind of it !

Always slather myself in factor 40+ during the summer mojomummy.

Would they not know from blood tests during pregnancy about thyroid problems?

hi mjm what you have said is so true i was just saying to my dp last night that it look symetrical ,do you take or do anything for yours ?? of course jts i dont mind sharing !! also mines on my shoulders at the mo did your start on your face mjm ???

bump...

morning !

I think mine started at the back of my neck in 1992. I ws on hols & it got burnt & i coudldn't understand why... I think it then went to around my eyes & under the arms.

I took zinc for it for a while - it hasn't got worse & it hasn't got better. People do comment though...oooh you've been wearing sunglasses...

JTS - it wasn't picked up when I was pregnant - 2003. I was also checked before that & was ok, but recently - Sept 2005 showed there were raised anti-bodies. Yes I put high factor on, I still manage to get colour on my face though, along with a smattering of freckles ! Also wear a hat & glasses.

Virtiligo is an autoimmune sympton & so is thyroid I think, so that's were the connection is...or something along those lines !

If anyone has good make-up tips, please pass them on

ah here we are from jts link...

Vitiligo is sometimes seen in people with autoimmune disorders such as late-developing diabetes, thyroid conditions, pernicious anaemia and alopecia areata. These diseases can have related causes, but having one disease does not give you another one. We do not fully understand why different people in the same family may develop different autoimmune disorders, but genes can also affect this.

My mum has thyroid problems..thanks mum...

thanks for replying i feel really down about this at the mo everything just slots into place too well ,how bad is it on your face ,you must be a really strong woman ,thats the problem im not ,does zinc help??? if so im of to get some !

My sister-in-law has this and they are using some type of treatment with tanning bulbs. It is a prescription only type of thing and I don't understand exactly how it works since you do have to be careful about not burning with vitiligo.

A friend of my mother's also has it and did a treatment to destroy all of her melanin. She is, of course, quite pale now but it is even.

And then, there is the age-old question of, if Michael Jackson really has vitiligo, as he claims, what kind of treatment has he done?

thanks jw im waiting for a appointment with the specialist now not sure how long it will take ? does your sil have it bad has it got slowly worse soory about the questions!

my mum started to get white patches on her neck years ago, as its where she put her perfume on !!

I haven't seen her lately but in July I really thought she looked fine. My brother says her hands are the worst, but I guess I really didn't notice. Goes to show you how things that seem so obvious to us may not be so to others

thanks jw im prob just paranoid as its only just been diagnosed thanks for replying x

Good luck. Don't forget to ask about the tanning bulbs thing. I believe it is a relatively new type of treatment. My brother is a doctor and he found out about it for her.

i will def ask my consultant about it maybe its just where you are ???? im in bedfordshire hopefuuly they will have it around here to??

right i went up town today and got some zinc i also went to DR HERBS .they done me some stuff there with the herb leafs to rub into the affected areas ansd suggested acupucture so i had it i was really nerevous but it didnt hurt at all it was very relaxing!!!!!

Hi Milesysgirl, not particulary strong, but it's not on my hands, so for some reason, I'm not so bothered about it. I think other people are though, my dad is always very concerned when he sees it & someone else did make a what's-wrong-with-her-face comment !

I think the red cross can advise on make-up to blend in the pale patches.

I am also down for some light treatment. I though it had the effect of triggering off new melanin ? if it works of course...

What chinese herbs did you get ? let us know how you get on

i havnt got a clue what they are i was just walking past the dr herbs shop and it said in the window that it can cure vitiligo so went in in cost about 6 pound so im gonna give it a go i havnt got it bad ....yet im hoping im one of the lucky one

milesygirl, I don't know a whole lot about it. They have a tanning bed in their home and my brother ordered these special bulbs for it, but they do have to be prescribed by a doctor and you can only stay under for a very short time. We both live in the US. Europe is usually more advanced on approving things like that, so hopefully it is available where you are.

did they have to buy the tanning bed or can it be rented specially for this condition???? sorry for all the questions im just trying to get my head around this!