Stress and vitiligo

[Guest Posts]

Can vitiligo be directly linked to stress?
Vanessa

[Dr Dev Shah]

There is no definitive proof that stress causes or exacerbates vitiligo.
Anecdotally most dermatologists who see vitiligo patients will get some history of an initiating stressful event or that patients' vitiligo gets worse when they are stressed.

Whenever I see someone with vitiligo i always ensure to ask about stress and life events, and aim to address the whole person, thinking about the psychological aspects of vitiligo is very important.

Psychologists are key to helping with this part of treatment, both to get patients to accept their condition and to treat the condition by becoming less stressed.