Ginkgo Biloba Extract Treatment for Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a skin condition, iatrogenic in nature but some acclaim that genetics and auto immune disorders are related to these conditions. Vitiligo is a skin disorder in which patches of skin lose pigment and appear lighter than the surrounding skin. Hair in these areas may turn white and the skin tends to sunburn more easily.

Some studies suggest up to 4% of the world’s adult population is suffering from this condition. Though Vitiligo is not contagious; it just doesn’t look good and makes the sufferers conscious of their looks. Vitiligo became famous as a skin disease when the king of pop Michael Jackson claimed that his color changed from black to white as he suffered from Vitiligo.

Previous treatments for Vitiligo included the application of topical steroid creams but that treatment either proved ineffective or took too long for the skin to regain its normal pigmentation and become as normal as before. But these days Ginkgo Biloba is gaining importance in area of Vitiligo treatment options.

Ginkgo is a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-modulating herb. Some researchers believe Vitiligo is the result of free-radical damage to the skin and that ginkgo prevents these free radicals from doing further harm.

Many studies, researches and placebo treatments are being done to make sure about the Ginkgo Biloba extracts and their effects on patients suffering from Vitiligo. So far, it has been proven that oral intake is far more effective than the topical usage, regarding the treatment of Vitiligo.

One small study using oral Ginkgo Biloba extract 40 milligrams three times daily reports that ginkgo appears to arrest the progression of this disease. Better-designed studies are needed to confirm these results.

There is one extensive study that was carried out on  47 adults with slow spreading Vitiligo were assigned to be given 120 mg per day of a standardized extract of Ginkgo Biloba containing 9.6 mg of ginkgo flavon glycosides per day or a similar looking placebo for six months. Photographs of the affected areas of skin of the patients were taken every six weeks to monitor the changes in size and the ratio of pigmentation changes.

Disease progression was arrested in 80% of all people taking Ginkgo Biloba extracts, compared with only 36% of those taking a placebo. Individuals with Vitiligo restricted to the face who took Ginkgo all experienced a halt in the progression of their Vitiligo, whereas no person with this form of Vitiligo in the placebo group had any signs of the disease arresting. In the ginkgo group, marked or complete re pigmentation occurred in 40% of the participants, but less than 10% of the placebo group had similar results.

Some studies focus on to give additional nutrients to the patients for the treatment of Vitiligo; these include L phenylalanine, folic acid with vitamin B12, PABA, and vitamin C. So far no side effects are noticed regarding Vitiligo treatments. People are extensively using and appreciating Ginkgo Biloba extracts for the treatment of Vitiligo as it is fast acting and effective treatment option.