All You Need To Know About Poliosis

 

Poliosis is a disease that causes one or more white spots to appear on a person's hair.

Looking in the bathroom mirror and noticing streaks of white hair that weren't there before can be a disturbing experience. Like many other things in life, poliosis is less scary when understood.

Here is an overview of what poliosis is, what it means to the person who has it, and how they can deal with it.

What is poliosis?

Poliosis occurs when a person is born or develops a patch of white or gray hair while retaining their natural hair color. It can affect children and adults.

People with poliosis have a reduced level or a complete lack of melanin in the roots of the affected hair, also called hair follicles.

Poliosis alone cannot seriously harm your health and can be covered with hair dye, hats, or scarves if you are not comfortable with them. But poliosis can sometimes coexist with serious illnesses.

What Causes Poliosis?

Some people say that psychological trauma, physical shock, or other stressful experiences cause poliosis, sometimes overnight. However, experts claim that these claims are false.

While the causes of poliosis are not fully understood, experts say that the true causes of poliosis likely include:

• the genetic
• autoimmune disease
• damage to hair follicles

These medical conditions sometimes coexist with poliosis:

• Vitiligo - loss of pigment in the skin, causing uneven changes in skin color.
• Halo moles - a mole surrounded by a white ring
• Alopecia areata: hair loss that occurs mainly on the scalp.
• Tuberous sclerosis - cell proliferation in various body organs and tissues
• Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, Allezandrini syndrome and Waardenburg syndrome - rare diseases that cause changes in the pigmentation of the skin and hair, accompanied by neurological, visual and hearing problems.

Symptoms and Appearance

Poliosis is easy to detect. It appears as a white or gray patch or patches on any area of ​​the body that has hair. Usually, it will be easier to notice when this is affecting the hair, but it can happen in other places as well.

How is Poliosis Diagnosed?

The presence of a patch of white or gray hair is enough to diagnose the condition.

If poliosis seems to be affecting your child, it is important to see a doctor. While poliosis can occur at any age, gray or white hair is rare in children. It can be a sign of thyroid disorders, vitamin B-12 deficiency, and other serious conditions. A blood test can help detect conditions that may be causing your child's poliosis.

How is Poliosis Treated?

There is no way to permanently change the color of hair affected by poliosis. However, if you want your poliosis to be less noticeable, coloring hair that has been lightened by poliosis is relatively simple and inexpensive. You can use a homemade kit or go to a hairdresser to do it. You will need to redecorate your hair when the lighter roots begin to appear.

If you want to cover your poliosis without using hair dye, consider wearing hats, bandanas, headbands, or other types of hair covers.

Having said that, many people also feel comfortable keeping their hair up.

Final Thought 

Poliosis itself is simply a harmless lack of pigment in the hair follicles that causes them to turn white or gray. The condition can exist from birth or it can appear without warning at any age.

Although there is no cause for alarm if poliosis appears, it is best to consult a doctor if it appears. Although poliosis is not harmful, it can be a sign of a variety of conditions.

There are medical treatments that appear to reverse poliosis, but they are often time-consuming, tiring, and expensive.

After consulting a doctor to make sure there is no underlying condition, a person with poliosis may find it easier to leave or color their hair.