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The Times

May 16, 2002

Why vitiligo is worse during summer

If the latest forecast is to be believed, there will be a return of sunny weather this weekend. One group of people who may mourn the loss of recently leaden skies are those with vitiligo. They are more likely to look apprehensively out of their window in summer in case they are greeted by the sight of sun and blue skies. Vitiligo is the skin condition in which the patient suffers from white patches of depigmented skin.

These may be found anywhere on the body but have a predilection for areas around the eyes, on the hands, face and neck and the groin. The troubles that vitiligo may cause are too frequently overlooked by those who have not come across it, and the skin disease is little understood by patients suffering from it.

When it is sunny, the depigmented white areas on the skin of a patient with vitiligo are likely to burn, whereas the normal pigmented areas, by becoming tanned, emphasise the patchy nature of the patient’s skin. The 1 per cent of the population who suffer from vitiligo need to use a powerful sun block to protect the white patches and to avoid enhancing the contrast between pigmented and depigmented skin.

A new edition of the handbook of the Vitiligo Society is in an advanced state of production. It will not only be essential reading for all those who have vitiligo but also for doctors. Reading the proofs provided a good lesson that knowledge in medicine is always advancing, and that advances in the less life- threatening conditions may easily be overlooked. The new edition of this handbook, for instance, contains information that will have passed by all those who are not specialist dermatologists.

Vitiligo is not damaging to a patient’s health, it is not infectious, and it is not associated with autoimmune diseases, as was hitherto supposed. However, the amount of embarrassment it causes, especially in summery weather when it is more difficult to conceal, is underestimated. People with vitiligo deserve the best treatment available.

The Vitiligo Society: 125 Kennington Road, London SE11 6SF (020-7840 0855). www.vitiligosociety.org.uk e-mail: all@vitiligosociety.org.uk

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