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A description of Vitiligo

Vitiligo affects 1 in 200 people and is a skin disorder characterised by skin colour loss which may be widespread or limited to a small area. Affecting people of all races, Vitiligo is considered to occur due to a melanocyte cell deficiency, When present these cells produce the pigment that gives the skin its natural colour.

Vitiligo can be successfully camouflaged long term, with medical tattooing treatment. The results are accomplished by skilled consultants who tattoo skin colour pigments into the hypo-pigmented skin (skin lacking colour) diminishing the appearance of the Vitiligo.

Medical tattoo techniques can only be used to treat Vitiligo that has been in remission for 1 year. To disturb an unstable Vitiligo site can stimulate the condition to spread, or new sites to establish elsewhere.

It is not possible to camouflage extremely large areas of Vitiligo, because the discomfort, commitment and expense make such a programme too difficult for the patient to endure.

How do we perform the medical tattoo procedure?

Personal consultation

The degree of success in Vitiligo camouflage depends on the selection of correct skin tone colours, in order to achieve an effect that merges into the skin's natural colour.

The consultant will create custom blends of pigment during the consultation, carrying out 2-3 microscopic colour tests on the Vitiligo site.

Over the next month, the test areas develop to give an impression of how they will look in the eventual Vitiligo camouflage.

Pigment infusion

Before the medical tattooing treatment, the consultant applies topical anesthetic to reduce the prickling sensation generated during the procedure.

The consultant implants the pigments into the Vitiligo site creating a series of minute points of colour to emulate the skin's naturally subtle colour variations.

Pigment infusion sessions typically take 60 minutes and larger areas require multiple treatment sessions.

After the procedure

Patients apply a healing balm twice a day and dependent on location, also keeps the treated area covered with sterile gauze for two days.

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