Two Cases of Vitiligo Due to Sexual Trauma

The importance of psychogenic factors in the development of a variety of dermatological diseases have been debated by many authors. The prominent role of autoimmunity, psychological and emotional factors are emphasized as contributing to the expression of vitiligo which can be viewed as a psychocutaneous disorder. The skin has a great psychosocial impact as an erogenic region all through life. In this article two cases of vitiligo in which sexual trauma has a precipitating role are presented and the clinical manifestations and stressor factors are discussed. Sexual trauma involves any kind of activity correlated with sexual desire without the consensus of the individual. Besides the negative effects associated with the disfiguring features of vitiligo, emotions like shame, rage due to sexual assaults have been deeply experienced in both of the cases. Negative emotions which have not been totally released with the occurence of vitiligo, lead to dysthymic disorder in the first case and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in the second one.