Last Updated on 6th May 2021 by Caroline Haye
What causes vitiligo skin to turn white?
It seems that press rumours of a cure for age-related greying of the hair were somewhat exaggerated. However, the research that triggered them is still good news for anyone with vitiligo… The skin disorder that causes areas of skin (and hair) to turn white. It’s a disconcerting condition… One that can have you wondering, is your skin being bleached? Because that’s kind of what it looks like.
Well, in a way, that’s exactly what may be happening. It doesn’t take much googling on the subject of vitiligo research to find mounting evidence that vitiligo sufferers have increased levels of hydrogen peroxide in their skin. A person in normal health is able to break hydrogen peroxide down into water and oxygen. And it does this thanks to a naturally occurring enzyme called catalase. But for some reason people with vitiligo produce insufficient levels of catalase to combat the bleaching effects of hydrogen peroxide. This bleaching effect is what causes skin and hair to lose pigment in irregular, and usually gradually-spreading, patches.
Many of us are aware of pseudocatalase and its use in treating vitiligo. And perhaps, like me, you never knew what it was or how it works. But, once you look into it, it makes perfect sense. The idea of pseudocatalase and UVB as a treatment is this:
a) to raise levels of catalase in the skin whilst
b) stimulating the skin with UV light to produce pigment.
I have never had pseudocatalase treatment, as such. But I’m beginning to understand now a little of the logic behind how and why I have re-pigmented using certain nutritional supplements plus sun exposure. The green superfood blend that I take (“Five a Day+”) contains a number of free-radical fighters, including superoxide dismutase (SOD) with catalase. And the capsules I take (“Boost”) contain a number of minerals – including copper and zinc – which also promote the body’s ability to create catalase.
Until I began reading up on the subject, my recovery was a mystery. Almost a miracle – which, to me, it was!). But now the pieces of the jigsaw are starting to fall into place.
2 thoughts on “Is your skin being bleached?”
Thank you for sharing we are just starting to find out the cause of this debilitating condition. My poor son has be n through way to much in his 30 yrs and now this. It is over taking his whole body. Please let me know of what all we can do to help.
I’m so sorry to hear that, Julie. The first thing to say is that there is hope, even though there are no magic pills yet that can cure vitiligo. Scientists do know that it is possible to reverse the process of de-pigmentation. So don’t believe anyone who says that nothing can be done. That is not true.
As to what you can do for your son, that is a big topic – bigger than I can cover here. So my best suggestion is for you to have a browse through My Vitiligo Story (from the menu on this site) or – if you want a summary of everything I did to reverse my vitiligo, then go to the page called Treatment Summary.