Hi Nathalie,
I am experimenting with taking B12, folic acid, and Vitamin C. I have had positive results, but I have read that one needs sunlight to help gain further repigmentation. Can you let me know the recommended time one can sit in the tanning bed without being in danger of burning. Thank you very much for all your useful information.
Gabe
Hi Gabe
The vitamins you are taking match with what others have used and experienced re-pigmentation. Also, think about adding vitamin D because studies show that low vitamin D is associated with autoimmune diseases- of which vitiligo is one.
I experienced a lot of re-pigmentation from sitting in the sun for 15-30 minutes per day in the summer and my excimer xtrac laser treatments are showing some very positive results since going from 1 to 3 visits per week. However, the excimer laser utilizes narrow-band UVB (not UVA) to target only the white patches. I can tell you two things about going to a tanning salon: 1) make sure the tanning bed uses narrow band UVB bulbs and B) you’re going to tan all of your skin, not just the white patches, so it may look a little worse before it gets better. I tried that a couple of years ago and stopped after 3 times because I was embarrassed coming out of the booth- sad, but true.
I would talk to your dermatologist about the recommended time to spend in a tanning bed, just to be sure.
all the best,
I’ve had vitiligo for over 40 years. It started on my hands and spread to what I believed was over 80% of my body. The only part of my body that was not effected was my face. A few weeks ago I started taking a vitamin drink (ecodrink that I got from Sam’s Club) It has 100% of the daily recommended allowance of B12, C, D, and 50% of Folic Acid. As well as a plethera of other good things, but these were the ones that you have mentioned. Then I started going to the tanning salon. Very slow at first, 7 min on a slow bed with narrow band UVB bulbs, then slowly increasing my time. My patches of vitiligo are getting mottled with repigmented skin. The area on my stomach, which I thought was completely covered in vitiligo, now has almost none. My hands are repigmenting, but my feet are not. My shins are becoming mottled as well. (where they used to be completely white, now have pigmented spots in them) I’m going to continue my experiment and see where it takes me. I do put a sunscreen stick on the areas where the vitiligo has showed no sign of repigmenting so as not to burn that area, but where my skin is repigmenting I do not put sunscreen on. I do burn slightly, but when the minimal burn goes away, there is more pigmentation.
I have had Vitiligo since i was nine. About a year and a half ago, i started usuing clobestasol and had amazing results on my knees and elbows!! i was really excited, and i have started wearing shorts again in public, but i’ve noticed that my hands are not reacting at all. I read about these vitamins online a couple of weeks ago and have started taking folic acid and b12… i was wondering if anyone has had any luck with these vitamins and vitligo in their hands?
thanks!
Mayra
What do you mean by narrow band UVB?