Vitiligo safety and protection: Summer Tips

Summer is one of the best seasons of the year in South Africa but for people living with Vitiligo there is a lot of safety that needs to be considered before basking in the sun. This has prompted us to research more on these safety tips to protect of our fragile skin.

Certain self-care tactics may help you care for your skin and improve its appearance:

• Protect your skin. If you have vitiligo, particularly if you have fair skin, use sunscreen to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays. If the skin isn't protected with sunscreen, vitiligo patches may burn or scar. Sunscreen helps protect your skin from sunburn and long-term damage. Sunscreen also minimizes tanning, which makes the contrast between normal and depigmented skin less noticeable. Use a sunscreen with sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or more and water resistant.
• Conceal imperfections. Cosmetics that cover the white patches on your skin may improve your appearance and help you feel better about yourself. These cosmetic products may be particularly effective if you have vitiligo that's limited to exposed areas of your body. You may need to experiment with several brands of concealing cosmetics, such as Dermablend or Chromelin, before finding a product that works best for you. (We do advise people to consult a dermatologist before buying any cosmetic products over the counter)

According to dermatologist they share the following tips, this summer:

Protect your skin from the sun

Everyone who has vitiligo can benefit from sun protection. Here's why:

• Skin that has lost its colour sunburns very easily
• A bad sunburn can worsen vitiligo
• If you chose to treat vitiligo with depigmentation, that is removing he remaining colour from your skin, the sun can cause spots of colour to form on your skin. You will need to depigment your skin again to remove these spots of colour.

To protect your skin from the sun, excluding sunscreen and concealers dermatologist recommend the following:

1. Apply sunscreen everyday at least 15 minutes before going outdoors
2. Reapply sunscreen when outdoor, every 2 hours, even on cloudy day and after being in water or sweating.
3. Wear clothing that protects your skin from the sun. skin covered by clothing that has a high SPF does not need sunscreen. Not all clothing offers high SPF. A long-sleeve denim shirt has an SPF of about 1 700. A white t-shirt only has an SPF 7, and a green t-shirt has an SPF 10. You can boost the SPF of clothing, by adding a product that increases the SPF of clothing during the wash cycle. You add this product to wash machine. The increase in SPF is usually good for about 20 washings.
4. Seek Shade - This is especially important when your shadow is shorter than you are. That's when the sun's damaging rays are at their strongest and you are likely to sunburn.

Do not use tanning beds and sun lamps

These are not safe alternatives to the sun. These, too, can burn skin that has lost pigment. If you want to add colour to your skin, consider using a cosmetic. Cosmetics can safely add colour to your skin if you want to add colour without undergoing treatment. Cosmetics that can add colour are self-tanners, dyes, and makeup. Here are some tips that dermatologist offer their patients;

• Dyes work best for white spots.
• When looking for a self-tanner, choose a product that contains dihydroxyactone.
• with practice, most people can achieve a neutral look with a concealing cream or self-tanner.

Do not get a tattoo

Getting a tattoo can cause something called Keobnerization or the Koebner phenomenon. what this means is, when you wound your skin, which getting a tattoo does, a new patch of vitiligo can appear about  to days later.

Learn about Vitiligo 

Knowledge often improves a person's quality of life. It helps to know about treatment options so that you know what is possible. learning more about vitiligo can help you decide what feels right for you. You may want to treat it, camouflage with cosmetics, or just let it be. Only you can decide what's right for you. If you decide not to treat vitiligo, it's still important to see a dermatologist for an accurate diagnosis and physical. Vitiligo is a medical condition, not just a cosmetic concern.

Connect with Others who have Vitiligo

The emotional aspects of having vitiligo are often overlooked, but they are real. If a child has vitiligo children may tease and bully. People can stare. Studies conclude that many people who have vitiligo have a decreased quality of life. At Beyond Vitiligo we believe life doesn't stop with having vitiligo, we look beyond the skin condition. Join the community and lets chit chat our sorrows away

http://www.facebook.com/BeyondvitiligoSA

@beyondvitiligo

Sources:

http://www.aad.org/skin-conditions/dermatology-a-to-z/vitiligo/tips

http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/skin_stuff/vitiligo.html#

http://www.avrf.org/facts/sun.htm