- Areas of lightened skin are found on various parts of the body.
- In general, doctors base their diagnosis on the appearance of the skin.
- Corticosteroid creams, other medications or phototherapy in addition to light-sensitizing drugs can help repigment the skin, or skin grafts can be used if necessary.
Up to 2% of the population suffers from vitiligo.
The cause of vitiligo is unknown, but it is a skin pigmentation disorder that may involve an attack by the immune system on the cells that produce the skin pigment melanin (melanocytes). Vitiligo may run in families or may develop spontaneously. It may occur in conjunction with certain other diseases, and is associated with autoimmune diseases (when the body attacks its own tissues), of which thyroid diseases are the most common. It is most closely associated with diseases that make the thyroid overactive and those that make the thyroid hypoactive . People with diabetes, Addison’s disease, and pernicious anemia are also more likely to have vitiligo. However, the relationship between these disorders and vitiligo is unclear.
