Phototherapy For Leucoderma

Leucoderma, also known as vitiligo, is a distressing skin condition.The word literally means white skin.There is a gradual loss of pigment melanin from the skin layers which results in white patches. These patches look ugly, especially in persons with dark complexions. Vitiligo is a skin condition in which there is loss of pigment from areas of skin resulting in irregular white patches with normal skin texture. Leucoderma is a fairly common disorder and it affects one percent or more of the world's population. The disorder can occur at any age in either sex in normal skin. It is, however, more common in women than men. The most affected areas are the hands, the neck, the back and the wrist.

The condition does not effect any internal system or functioning of the body but it definitely has psychological and social effects on the patient.

Treatment of leucoderma with UVA and UVB rays is an excellent option.It is most recent and scientific line of treatment for vitiligo is utilising UV light without photo sensitising the patient.Phototherapy or light therapy, involves exposing the skin to an artificial UVA and UVB light source(The Dualight Device) for a set length of time on a regular schedule. DuaLight provides UVA and UVB capabilities within one system for increased versatility.This light penetrates the skin and slows the growth of affected skin cells and helps in repigmentation of patches.