Skin diseases can have a major impact on social functioning, everyday activities and by extension psychological well-being. In recent years quality of life has become an important endpoint in clinical trials (Pater, 1996). Due to its visibility, stigmatization becomes a part of daily life in vitiligo patients, which can lead to intense psychosocial stress (Ginsburg & Link, 1989). Vitiligo has been described as ‘life-ruining’, as opposed to ‘life-threatening (Yazici et al., 2004).
An estimated 30% of vitiligo patients suffer from psychological problems as a result of the disease (Porter, Beuf, Nordlund & Lerner, 1979). Every aspect of a person’s life is affected by the condition, including the physical, social, and psychological aspects; it
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A large majority of patients have experienced that others do not want to touch them (Gupta & Gupta, 1998). Stigmatization influences the quality of life of vitiligo patients significantly (Finlay & Khan, 1994). The disease is a frequent precursor to low self-esteem, sexual malfunction, distress, anxiety, poor body image, depression, and a lower the quality of life in general (Porter, Beuf, Lerner & Nordlund, 1986). Similar to psoriasis patients, vitiligo patients are left to deal with a chronic, relapsing, visible and lifelong disorder that impairs their ability to cope (Chren & Weinstock, …show more content…
Additionally, the psychosocial impact on women is considerably more distinct, independent of age, partly due to cosmetic appearance and societal definitions of idealized beauty (Schmid-Ott et al., 2007). Interest in the psychological effects of skin disorders, including vitiligo, has increased over the last decade. Consequently, the quality of life in patients suffering from these diseases have been subject to closer examination (Gupta, Sreenivas, Mehta, Khaitan & Ramam,