The word “Leucoderma” originated from Greek (Unani) “Leukos” meaning “white”, and “Derma” meaning “skin”. Leucoderma is often also called Vitiligo. It is a health disorder involving the cells that produce melanin, a chemical responsible for color. When these cells stop functioning, loss of pigmentation occurs which manifests itself in the form of blotches (usually on the skin but it may also affect other areas of the body such as hair, the inside of the mouth, and even the eyes). This otherwise harmless disorder is non-contagious; and it generally produces lighter spots on the body in dark skinned people and darker spots in light skinned people. This disorder is not age or gender specific. Please note that extreme cases of Vitiligo are not treatable.
Symptoms
Major symptoms include loss of pigmentation leading to discoloration usually on the skin (including the inside of the mouth, nose, and genitals); and premature whitening or graying of hair (anywhere on the body). In extreme cases, discoloration may spread over large areas rather than just small blotches.
Causes
It is quite often hereditary but other factor such as life style choices may influence its development and progress.
Management and Treatment
My (Hakeem Syed Muhammad Rehan Alam’s) family has been successfully treating non extreme cases of Leucoderma disorders for more than 88 years. It is one of our family’s signature treatments and our expertise in this field is well known. We have a proprietary way of approaching diagnosis and treatment. Patient history, pulse analysis, and Qaroora (urine inspection) help the Tabib narrow down the root cause (such as trauma, infection, heredity, and relevant humor imbalances). Whenever necessary, we do make use of modern lab tests in arriving at and confirming diagnosis and in monitoring of treatment progress. Our treatment plan is very simple. Patient is immediately put on a strict dietary plan coupled with Unani drug regimen (that may take anywhere from 12-24 weeks) consisting of various processed and unprocessed herbs etc.
Note
Our treatment is very effective at the onset of this disorder , with the patients often healing completely. Diet plays an important role and consumption of certain foods such as some types of meats, poultry, seafood, vegetables, fruits, and pulses/lentils needs to be carefully screened. Other factors may include exposure to adverse climate, blood transfusions, certain chemicals such as dyes, and side effects of non Unani medicines.
