3. Surgery
If the above treatments don’t work, surgery will be the last option. The surgeon may opt for circumcision if you have vitiligo only on your foreskin. Else, he will transplant a small part of the skin from one region of your body to the affected part. However, it’s very hard to do the same on the penis area, if vitiligo affects a large area.
Grafting and cellular transplantation techniques showed 80-90 percent re-pigmentation rates [3].
Moreover, several top-notch clinics perform combinational therapy. A 2010 research study involving combinational therapy arrested disease progression and delivered good-to-excellent (80–100%) re-pigmentation in 70.4 percent of patients. This combinational therapy includes oral prednisolone, CO2 laser resurfacing of the recipient site, and epidermal skin grafting, followed by topical 0.1% betamethasone.
Hence, our medical experts from Care Well Medical Centre offers this combinational therapy for the best outcomes. To know how we perform this procedure in detail, watch the video:
What’s the Take-Away?
The appearance of penile vitiligo might haunt you. However, remember that this condition is completely harmless. It’s not contagious too. So, you don’t have to worry. Moreover, you can get back your original skin tone! It’s 100 percent possible.
But you should be ready to undergo consultation, diagnosis, and treatment. However, don’t opt for any sub-standard products available on the internet. If you want to get back your original skin tone, go for a proper medical consultation. Moreover, check if the spots are disseminated. If so, we recommend not delaying its treatment.
At first, there might be spots here and there. But it’s impossible to predict how large they might turn out to be. There is a chance of dissemination of this skin discoloration. So, physicians always recommend early and timely treatment.
FAQs – Penile Vitiligo Treatment
Can vitiligo on private parts be cured?
With the advanced technology in the medical and cosmetic fields, there are multiple treatments available. The treatment options for vitiligo primarily focus on covering up existing depigmentation, preventing the spreading of color loss, and temporary repigmentation. However, vitiligo does not have any known permanent cure to date.
Listed below are the most common treatment options for vitiligo. Let us have a look:
- Surgery – For instance, skin grafting.
- Camouflage therapy – It uses skin dyes and makeup.
- Light therapy involves UVB light exposure with light boxes or lasers. It has to be done multiple times a week.
- Medications and topical creams like corticosteroids.
Some researches show that TCIs or topical calcineurin inhibitors might effectively reverse skin color loss in adults and children with vulvar vitiligo. Skin specialists prescribe TCIs, and they possess immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory properties.
Nowadays, some healthcare clinics or hospitals treat vaginal vitiligo using UV light therapy and topical corticosteroids. However, these treatments also possess their drawbacks. Hence, it is essential to undergo such therapies under the guidance of well-trained professionals.
Does vitiligo affect sperm?
Researches show that semen analysis is negatively affected in patients suffering from vitiligo. Penile Vitiligo is not a contagious disease. It does not affect one’s sex life. Men have no issues with erections, and even the sperm count goes unaffected due to this discoloration disorder. However, if an individual takes stress due to their appearance, there are chances of their sex life being affected. Therefore, if one faces any issues with ejaculation, consult a sexologist. There might be a different cause for the same.
Can low testosterone cause vitiligo?
To date, there has been no evidence of vitiligo caused due to low testosterone. Therefore, you need not worry about contracting vitiligo if your testosterone count is affected.
Is penile vitiligo dangerous?
Penile vitiligo causes loss of skin coloration in patches. Generally, the discoloration of skin areas gets more oversized with time. Penile vitiligo is not contagious or life-threatening. But, it can affect people of all skin types. However, it is more noticeable in people with black or brown skin color. With vitiligo affecting skin coloration, it affects the confidence and self-esteem of people. It can cause stress and make one feel embarrassed about their appearance. Mentally this disease can cause harm to one’s peace and morale.
Treatment for penile vitiligo is possible, and physicians might be able to restore the lost skin color of your affected skin. But, even the treatments cannot prevent the continued loss of skin coloration or reoccurrence.
Why do I have vitiligo on my private parts?
Vitiligo is a disease that causes skin patches to lose melanin. Melanin is the pigment that provides color to your hair and skin. Vitiligo can occur anywhere on your skin including the inner parts of your mouth and even hair. Vitiligo can also occur on the penis. Experts have not been able to specify a cause as to why some individuals stop melanin production in some areas of the body. But some experts believe that it may be an autoimmune condition.
Autoimmune is a condition when the self-immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s healthy cells. If someone features another autoimmune disorder like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or lupus, they possess a high risk of contracting vitiligo. On another note, one may be more likely to develop vitiligo if their family has a genetic history of vitiligo.
Can vitiligo cause infertility?
Researches and studies show that vitiligo does affect fertility. Patients suffering from vitiligo were found to have low birth rates significantly. The research found the percentage to be merely 0.870%. Also, it has been found that the spontaneous abortion rates in women with vitiligo are higher. Percentage-wise nearly 1.250% of women faced spontaneous abortion issues.
References
- Souza Leite RM, Craveiro Leite AA. Two therapeutic challenges: periocular and genital vitiligo in children successfully treated with pimecrolimus cream. Int J Dermatol. 2007 Sep;46(9):986-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-4632.2007.03282.x. PMID: 17822508.
- Parsad D, Kanwar A. Oral minocycline in the treatment of vitiligo–a preliminary study. Dermatol Ther. 2010 May-Jun;23(3):305-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1529-8019.2010.01328.x. PMID: 20597950.
- Dillon AB, Sideris A, Hadi A, Elbuluk N. Advances in Vitiligo: An Update on Medical and Surgical Treatments. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2017;10(1):15-28.
- Anbar TS, El-Sawy AE, Attia SK, et al. Effect of PUVA therapy on melanocytes and keratinocytes in non-segmental vitiligo: a histopathological, immuno-histochemical, and ultrastructural study. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 2012;28:17–25.
- El Hoseny SM. Treatment of upper-and lower-extremity vitiligo with epidermal grafts after CO2 laser resurfacing with systemic and topical steroids. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2010;34:157–166.
