Hi Friends,
If you have patches on face or if you think they might spread to there, I've realized one good and easy prevention action that can really help you. Please take it seriously.
Brief description:
Physical friction/traumas in places where bones are close to the skin surface (bony prominence) induces vitiligo in predisposed people. This pattern is observed in finger tips, knees, elbows, feet, wrists and face (see the latter below).
It's easy to understand that finger tips, knees, elbows, feet, wrists are submitted to a lot of traumas and friction in a daily basis, but I was puzzled with the face pattern.
Firstly I thought that the friction on face was mainly caused by the following actions:
But recently I've got to a more evident conclusion about what really causes friction/pressure on face, so that I'd like to share with you:
1- Human being head weighs around 5Kg (10-11 pounds);
2- When we are sleeping in a "freefaller", "log", "foetus", "yearner" positions (see position chart below), the face might be suffering a pressure from the whole head equivalent to 50Kgf /m2. Despite the cushion/pillow absorption, it would be the same as having a 5kg (11 pounds) weight plate on your face for 6-8 hours a day. It's too much for vitiligo sufferers.
So, my suggestion is to try to change the sleeping position to "soldier" or "starfish" (see above), to avoid the bone pressure against the face.
It's always important to remember that Protopic and Pseudocatalase cream are good options to treat vitiligo on face, both combined with UVB-NB phototherapy.
Regards,
Replies
Saurabh,
Find attached a paper about vitiligo and friction bu A. Taieb and Y. Gauthier. These doctors are working hard to find a cure...
Also forgot to mention that the main causes of vitiligo (for genetic pre-disposed people) are:
1) Physical trauma means: systematic friction, injuries, itches, scratches, allergies, sun burns, impacts, violent moves, hits, punches, kicks, etc. (50% weight)
2) Oxidative stress means excess of free radicals. It's mainly caused by food allergy, poor diet, leaky gut and dysbiosis (parasites, candida, h-pylori, yeast, fungus, etc.). Oxidative stress can be reduced by taking anti-oxidant and anti-fungal pills. (35% weight)
3) Systematic psychological and emotional behaviors and/or feelings (15% weight)
So, based on my research, if one really wants to fight vitiligo, it's worth to sacrifice anything to avoid cause #1 that has the highest weight.
Regards.
Melanocyte-detachment-after-skin-friction-in-patients-with-generali...
Long time....
I am sure you too are aware that taking these precautions in a person's day to day life are nearly impossible.
Keeping these things in mind will make the person more aware of his vitiligo and as Tom says it will stress him out more while trying to actually avoid stress for his Vitiligo.
However well intentioned your discussion is, I still think that when we live our daily lives our Vitiligo must not be in the back of our mind. If it is then it will just drags us down. A person who lives with the condition knows this well.
A friend here in her post said that we project our thoughts to others -if Vitiligo is lurking in our head the other too will just focus on it.
So I think it's useless to try to change ones instinctive habits or daily routine or stop doing what one does or likes to do.
How can I change the way I sleep? I have never video recorded my sleep. But if I ever did many mysteries will be solved and I do want to know the answers to some. Still I can do nothing about it and I cannot stop myself from turning in my sleep.
I know you have been working hard these days- collecting data, putting up your website, guiding people to what's best for treatment of Vitiligo and many other things. I hope that your endeavours really help some. As the majority of us are just focussed on ourself and overwhelmed by it.
Long time...
It's true it's hard, but not impossible. I have receive some emails from people who experienced that successfully. That's why I keep posting it. Awareness is the most important thing to fight vitiligo.
You have to understand that some people tends to accept vitiligo and some others really want to fight it. So my posts are directed to these.
Vitiligo on face is probably the one the bothers people the most. So why not try the suggestions? You have to re-educate yourself for a new sleeping position. It has no cost. It's just a matter of willpower.
Last but not least, you can flip in your sleep (foetus and yarner), but avoid freefaller as much as possible because the pressure will make vitiligo worse.
Regards.
Thanks Saurabh. He says it as though it's Gospel fact.
In India there are thousands of Non Governmental Organisations (NGO's) purportedly working for various causes taking donations from people and aid from the government. Only a few really do what they are made for, the rest just misuse the funds for their own benefit.
Similarly every disease has an industry behind it. Vitiligo too is a cash cow for some people. We appear as cows of Jersey variety to them.
It is misery for the one suffering it and a source of livelihood for the others.
All we can do is use our best judgment and not fall in their trap.
Best regards and congratulations! for your new President.