Vitiligo Due to Chemical Exposure | Causes & Treatment | Dr. Health Hair & Skin Clinic

In India, due to lax quality control measures, chemical vitiligo due to consumer items is quite common.

As per a study published in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, consumer items like sticker bindi, plastic footwear, lipsticks, hair dyes, especially kali mehndi, wallets, mobile plastic covers have been documented to cause Chemical Vitiligo.

The chemicals responsible are azo dyes and para-tertiary-butyl-phenol (PTBP).

Once the causative agent is identified and avoided and the depigmented patch is treated, the skin color comes back to normal in most cases.

As consumers, it is important for us to be generally aware of these items and their effects on the skin. This can prevent the devastating consequences of permanent loss of skin color.