Q: I am a North Indian man working in Saudi Arabia. I have one white spot on left side of my waist and it has been there since I was 13 yr old. I went for a check up and the doctor advises me 1) Dapsone 100 mg 2) R-cin 300 mg(daily). I start taking medicines when I feel itching. Then I went to Banagalore where doctors advised me 1)Dapsone 100 mg, 2) R-cin 600 mg(monthly), 3) Isonex. I took these for 6 months and Dapsone 100 mg I took for a long time. Now I am 31 years old but I still have the white spot. Some doctors say this is only a scar, but I am afraid if I still have leprosy. Please advise.

A:You have not given complete information about your problem. At what age was the treatment taken? What do you mean by "I start taking medicines when I feel itching"? Do you mean to say that you take medicines (DDS, Rcin etc) off and on whenever you have itching? Itching is not a feature of Leprosy. What was the exact diagnosis made? Was it maculoanesthetic, tuberculoid leprosy, borderline leprosy? In maculoanesthetic and tuberculoid (paucibacillary leprosy) 6 month treatment is usually more than enough. Residual damage is likely in some and patches will persist.