As you learned on the previous page, vitiligo appears because the body can no longer produce melanin. It is not caused by a germ or virus that can be transmitted from one person to the next, so the condition isn't contagious. In fact, vitiligo patients may feel isolated and alone simply because of their looks. Avoiding them out of fear that you may catch the disease could add to their pain .
Lee Thomas, an Emmy Award-winning African-American television news anchor, understands the isolation and pain associated with having vitiligo. He first noticed white spots on his scalp more than a decade ago. Thomas said he hid his condition for as long as he could -- about four years -- because he feared other people's reactions to his appearance.
The Vitiligo is not contagious. If it were many doctors and family members of those with Vitiligo, would have the condition.
There are many theories and documents of support that point at a genetic susceptibility that some have and others don’t. This is why often we refer that nobody in our previous generations presented any similar injury, emphasizing that many relatives do not meet each other or see each over a long period of time and some of them will cover their injuries with clothes or cosmetics, hiding from their family. It is believed that almost 50 % of the people who suffer from Vitiligo have a family member with predisposition to Vitiligo.
There is an anecdote of a family with vitiligo only on the hands and upper parts of the body and when interviewed about vitiligo it was known that the family had a tire repair business. There is sufficient chemical substances and the so called "fenoles" that are in those materials, as well as in the developing of photography that destroy the cells of the pigmentation in the skin.
Learn about : How to Treat Vitiligo in China
