Fact Check: Can vinegar and black pepper treat vitiligo?

Hyderabad: An Instagram post that claims to reveal the cure for vitiligo is being widely shared on social media. The viral post instructs people to apply a mixture of vinegar and black pepper powder over the skin to get rid of vitiligo.

People who have vitiligo will have white marks appear over the skin, which may or may not fade over time. Keep scrolling to know if applying vinegar and pepper on the skin can cure vitiligo.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. As per the latest research, vitiligo has no definitive cure.

What is vitiligo?

Let’s define the condition first. Mayo Clinic describes vitiligo as a disease that causes loss of skin colour in patches. The discoloured areas usually get bigger with time. The condition can affect the skin on any part of the body. It can also affect the hair and the inside of the mouth. Normally, the colour of hair and skin is determined by melanin. Vitiligo occurs when cells that produce melanin die or stop functioning.

Types of vitiligo include:

• Localised vitiligo is the presence of a few spots or patches in one or few places on the body.

• Generalised vitiligo is scattered patches of colour loss on different areas of the body.

• Segmental vitiligo is rapid colour loss on one side of the body.

• Non-segmental vitiligo spreads slowly with new patches developing off and on throughout the person’s life.

• Mixed-type vitiligo is rare where both segmental vitiligo and colour loss beyond the area with segmental vitiligo occur.

Mayo Clinic also confirms that “No drug can stop the process of vitiligo — the loss of pigment cells (melanocytes). But some drugs, used alone, in combination or with light therapy, can help restore some color.”

NewsMeter also found that the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has recently approved a topical ointment named Opzelura (ruxolitinib) cream for the treatment.

However, it should be noted that there are a few very specific limitations of the approved ointment.

• FDA has approved Opzelura (ruxolitinib) cream for the treatment of nonsegmental vitiligo.

• It must only be applied to adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older.

• It is currently approved for the topical short-term and non-continuous chronic treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in non-immunocompromised patients 12 years of age and older.

• Satisfactory patient response may require treatment with Opzelura for more than 24 weeks.

• At the end of the clinical trials, 30 percent of Opzelura patients had at least 75 percent improvement in the facial Vitiligo Area Scoring Index, compared with 10 percent of placebo patients. This means, the ointments still have loopholes.

However, does this mean vinegar and pepper can’t treat vitiligo?

According to an article on Healthline, “Using Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) on your face will induce a stinging sensation and make you wince at the skunky smell. If ACV has saved your skin and you can’t use another option, dilute your ACV for safety. Long-term, undiluted ACV use could corrode your lovely face due to its highly acidic levels. Vinegar can be caustic if you leave it on your skin, and it shouldn’t be used to treat wounds. Any acne sores are at risk for incurring a burn or major irritation. Plus, using ACV as a facial product puts your peepers at risk. If you get it in your eyes, you could experience inflammation or even a cornea burn.”

https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/diy-donts#alternatives

Is applying pepper safe for the skin?

No, applying black pepper over the skin will definitely give rashes and burns. Moreover, scant evidence of black pepper when consumed does show skin exfoliating benefits. But, for that one needs to include black pepper as a part of the diet.

Hence, it is proven that vinegar and pepper can’t treat vitiligo.