Vitiligo causes your skin to lose color or pigmentation. Smooth white or light areas called macules or patches appear on your skin. It generally starts on your hands, forearms, feet and face. Globally, about 1% of the population has vitiligo. Treatment isn’t necessary, but you can seek treatment for cosmetic appearance.
Vitiligo affects all races and sexes equally. It’s more visible in people with darker skin tones. Although vitiligo can develop in anyone at any age, macules or patches usually become apparent before age 30.
You might be at a higher risk of developing vitiligo if you have certain autoimmune conditions like:
Vitiligo usually starts with a few small white macules or patches that may gradually spread over your body. Vitiligo typically begins on your hands, forearms, feet, and face, but can develop on any part of your body, including your mucous membranes (the moist lining of your mouth, nose, genital, and rectal areas), your eyes, and inner ears.
Sometimes, larger patches continue to widen and spread, but they usually stay in the same place for years. The location of smaller macules shifts and changes over time, as certain areas of skin lose and regain their pigment.
The amount of affected skin varies for each person diagnosed with vitiligo. Some people experience a few depigmented areas, while others have a widespread loss of skin color.
Types of vitiligo include:
Symptoms of vitiligo can appear anywhere on the skin of your body. The most common places to have symptoms of vitiligo include on your: