Ya i got it. Dont do the steroid and uvb treatment if you got universal vitiligo. I tried that the chronic steroids really messed up my body. Unfortunately I was a child when it was done, if I knew what I know now I would never have went near that treatment.
If more than 70% of your skin has gone white then your only option is to depigment in my opinion ive tried everything else it just comes back (again depends on your vitiligo. I have not tried photocatalase im not sure if its out either. Depigmentation is also far cheaper than repigmentation if you have lost most of your colour). There is a surgical cure but I doubt you want to do that for 70% of your body so if you got acrotic vitiligo (the one that doesnt spread) then you can consider that.
The drug I used is monobenzone (in conjunction with laser though this is optional). You need to have a dermatologist assess if you are eligible to use it. Application of monobenzone is permanent and irreversible and its quite expensive since you require a specialist pharmacist to make it as there is no product available on the market.
Monobenzone will cause severe discomfort and the level of reaction is different per patient. Personally it was like putting acid on my skin (yes ive been burnt by acid before and its exactly like that without the physical damage of course).
Here is the pharmacy I got mine from. It requires special equipment and a specialised formula so your average pharmacy will not be able to make it. I also spoke to the guy (his name is Quintin) I cant explain his formula here as its his intellectual trade but he imports the active from germany and sends it for UV analysis to ensure its the real deal as there is a lot of fake stuff out there. Its also quite pricey
http://www.lycoderm.co.za/
So why bleach yourself ? if it just for looks and you dont have any psychological issues with this harmless disease.
well according to the american and indian journals of dermatology you cannot form a skin cancer on the vitiligo lessions and by eliminating the remaining pigment you decrease the chances of developing a melonoma. Though this depends on what grade skin tone you had before you had vitiligo
Its also vital you start proper vitamin D supplementation as without pigments you cannot absorb sunlight effectively for synthesis. Proper calciferol not the OTC stuff the S3 tabs are R6.00 a tab you take one a month.
for more information here is a good review on vitiligo its open access. If you decide to depigment, think about it.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3108518/
EDIT:
monobenzone cannot be used by people that dont have vitiligo. It was removed from the market because people without vitiligo were using it. Only a vitiligo patient can use this drug as the immune system smoothens the tone out.
Normal people tried to use it as a cosmetic and it will leave them permanently cosmetically disfigured as their body cannot destroy the remaining pigments.
If you decide to google it dont not be afraid of the horror stories thats people without the right vitiligo using it or no vitiligo at all. You cannot get a cream more than 40% the compound simply doesnt dissolve and hence doesnt penetrate the skin so dont get fooled into paying more for 40% when the most effective concentration is 20%. You will need to start from 10% then increase it over time your dermatologist will asses how to do this and what time frames would be appropriate.
Monobenzone is extremely variable per patient asses it properly, test it on a small patch in case you hyperpigment. Once all of that is done and everything is good to go then use it fully. Again think carefully if you really want to do it
