What is vitiligo?
Vitiligo is a condition that restricts the creation of skin pigment (or skin colouring) that results in white patches. The reason why vitiligo occurs is unknown although in some cases it has reported to be caused following an accident or surgery.

Vitiligo often starts to appear in areas that are exposed to the sun such as the hands, feet, arms or face. In addition to white skin patches, people with vitiligo may have prematurely greying hair. Inevitably they suffer acute self-consciousness and embarrassment.

Treatment of vitiligo
The aim of vitiligo treatment is to restore the function of skin and improve the appearance of the patient. Unfortunately, vitiligo can take a long time to respond to therapy. Furthermore as each individual is different and responds to treatment in a variety of different ways, there is no one simple solution. Clearly your surgeon will advise which treatment is best for you.

Psoralen photochemotherapy
This involves the treatment of vitiligo under artificial UVA light approximately once or twice a week. A thin coating of psoralen is applied to the patient’s patches half an hour before exposing it to UVA light. When the area is placed under light, skin darkening occurs. Several treatments are usually required.

Realistic expectations
You must have realistic expectations about what this treatment can achieve for you. It is critical that you spend time thinking about what you want to achieve from surgery and talk about your hopes with your surgeon.

It is also unrealistic to believe that all the patches will be removed as a result of a specific treatment. Every person is different and each mark is individual. The success of a procedure may be linked to factors such as age and general health. Your surgeon will discuss how these will impact on your treatment.

What happens during consultation?
The surgeon will discuss your medical history and aim to gain a complete understanding of what you want to achieve. It is important that you are completely honest and your expectations are realistic.

Getting the most out of your consultancy
Often in cases where clients are unhappy with the results of surgery it is because they did not discuss their expectations thoroughly or were afraid to talk about the outcome or risks.

You have to make an informed decision before signing the consent form so make sure you ask plenty of questions. You want to feel relaxed, confident and completely understand what will happen during surgery.

You may want to know:

• About the surgeon’s qualifications.
• How many operations of your procedure are carried out each year.
• How you prepare for the treatment.
• What realistic results can be expected and when.
• How long the results will last.
• About the side-effects and possible complications.
• How long it will take to recover.
• About how the treated area will change in time.
• What happens if anything goes wrong.

All procedures carry an element of risk
Before you sign the surgery consent form you should be aware of any possible complications and side effects. These depend greatly on individual circumstances such a person’s health, age and the extent of the procedure. Your surgeon will be able to explain how the risks apply in your circumstances.