Vitiligo is a condition where individuals develop patches of white or lighter-colored skin.
Vitiligo is common, affecting up to 2% of the population worldwide. It is partially genetic and may run in families. It can affect all areas of the body, especially areas that are “bumped” or rubbed frequently (i.e., areas of friction like the elbows, hands, waist, knees and top of the feet).
Vitiligo results from destruction or reduction of melanocytes, the cells that produce pigment in our skin, so that they cannot properly function. The cause of vitiligo is not clearly understood, but it appears in most cases to be an autoimmune condition where the body’s own immune system attacks the normal pigment-making cells in the skin.
For most people with vitiligo, white patches develop and expand slowly over time; however, every person is different. Some patients will never progress, rarely patients will worsen rapidly, and 10-20% will develop spontaneous repigmentation (return of normal color). A variant called segmental vitiligo is localized to a single strip of skin, and it is not usually associated with widespread loss of color.

Vitiligo is a condition where individuals develop patches of white or lighter-colored skin.
Vitiligo is common, affecting up to 2% of the population worldwide. It is partially genetic and may run in families. It can affect all areas of the body, especially areas that are “bumped” or rubbed frequently (i.e., areas of friction like the elbows, hands, waist, knees and top of the feet).
Vitiligo results from destruction or reduction of melanocytes, the cells that produce pigment in our skin, so that they cannot properly function. The cause of vitiligo is not clearly understood, but it appears in most cases to be an autoimmune condition where the body’s own immune system attacks the normal pigment-making cells in the skin.
For most people with vitiligo, white patches develop and expand slowly over time; however, every person is different. Some patients will never progress, rarely patients will worsen rapidly, and 10-20% will develop spontaneous repigmentation (return of normal color). A variant called segmental vitiligo is localized to a single strip of skin, and it is not usually associated with widespread loss of color.