Causes, Symptoms, and Homeopathy Treatment of Piebaldism

Piebaldism is a genetic condition, which is typically present at birth, and a person does develop an unpigmented or white patch of skin or hair.

The cells that do focus upon eye, skin, and hair color that are absent in certain areas in those with piebaldism. These cells are referred to as melanocytes.

Homeopathy Treatment of Piebaldism

In nearly about 90 percent of those affected, the area of piebaldism is seen as a patch of white hair located near the forehead, also referred to as a white forelock.

Some people can suffer from areas of unpigmented skin or hair in the eyelashes, eyebrows, and skin under the larger unpigmented area of the white forelock as well.

What is piebaldism?

Piebaldism happens to be an autosomal dominant genetic disorder with the majority of those afflicted by it having a white patch of hair near the forehead.

Piebaldism may indeed be caused by genetic mutations that do affect melanin production.

Piebaldism is also an autosomal dominant genetic disorder
Some of these genetic mutations present in those people with piebaldism are found in the KIT and SNAI2 genes.

The KIT gene is indeed responsible for sending the body signals to make certain cells, including melanocytes.

When there is a mutation in the KIT gene, melanocytes that are responsible for pigmentation are indeed altered. This does lead to a lack of pigmentation in areas of the skin or one’s hair.

When there is a mutation in the SNAI2 or SLUG gene, a protein referred to as snail 2 is negatively affected. Snail 2 is responsible for cell development, including the development of melanocytes, which can indeed lead to white pigmentation changes.

Comparison with other conditions

Piebaldism may be confused with other disorders that affect pigment in the body, such as the following.

Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a rare autoimmune condition, affecting approximately 1 percent of people worldwide. The body attacks its own melanocytes, leading to progressive and even worsening pigment changes in the skin, hair, eyes, mucous membranes, and the inner ear.

Vitiligo is not actually a genetic condition that people have at birth. It is a condition that does appear as a person ages, most commonly before the age of 20.

Poliosis circumscripta

Poliosis circumscripta happens to be the white forelock that often occurs with piebaldism, which is also in several other conditions.

These do include Waardenburg, tuberous sclerosis, inflammatory conditions, and both cancerous and non-cancerous conditions.

Alezzandrini syndrome

Alezzandrini syndrome is a rare disorder that is indeed marked by symptoms of hearing loss, hair as well as skin color changes, and also changes in the color of the retina in one’s eye.
It is the condition may be caused by a virus or appear as part of an autoimmune condition that does attacks melanocytes.

Symptoms of Piebaldism

In nearly 90 percent of those having piebaldism, the only presenting symptom can be a white forelock.

This patch of white hair does appear at the hairline near the forehead. Its shape is typically a triangle, diamond, or even a long strip.

Other parts of the body can also be affected by piebaldism.

Whitened areas may also include:
• eyebrows
• eyelashes
• forehead
• front or side of the abdomen as well as chest
• middle of the arms
• middle of the legs

Homeopathy Treatment of Piebaldism

Dermabrasion can be used to treat whitened areas of one’s skin.
The treatment of piebaldism can indeed pose a challenge, and there is no guarantee that treatment will have the desired results. Some of the treatments that are made use of for the condition include:

Dermabrasion:

This is a technique where the outer layer of a person’s indeed removed.

Skin grafting:

A procedure where skin containing pigment vis indeed attached to the area affected by a lack of pigment.

Melanocyte and keratinocyte transplantation:

During this procedure, cells that create pigment are transplanted to the affected area.

Erbium:

A technique that uses YAG laser surgery grafting.

Phototherapy can indeed be used after dermabrasion or cell transplantation to speed up the development of pigment.
Those with piebaldism are at risk for sunburn and are indeed encouraged to make use of sunscreen and other protective measures to prevent one’s skin damage.