Q: I am a 28 years old man who developed white patches on both the legs. I have got the white patch first on the left leg during some fungal infection and itching, then it became bigger and after that it has started expanding to another 3-4 places, where there was no fungal infection but some itching was there. Please note that my two cousins are also having these patches on there complete body and when they applied the treatment, they got opposite results from medicines. Please suggest me a suitable treatment.

A:White patches are seen in a number of conditions. Maybe you have vitiligo. However this needs to be confirmed by a dermatologist. Vitiligo can occur at any age, is non-infectious, and does not affect the physical health of the person. It is purely a cosmetic problem, which can cause serious psychological and emotional problems. In some individuals it spreads for a short time and then may remain quiescent for a long time before activating again. How many times this will happen cannot be predicted. In some it spreads very rapidly and may cover large areas. Treatment response is variable. Few people may not respond at all while some may show a very slow and partial response. Psoralens form the mainstay of the treatment. Other drugs include steroids, immunomodulators, immunosuppressives, extract from placenta, etc. Lack of response may mean either the dose is inadequate or another medicine is required. Actual combination of drugs and their dosage will vary from person to person.