Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Vitiligo?StagesTypesPreventing SpreadingWhat Makes Vitiligo Worse?
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Vitiligo?
Stages
Types
Preventing Spreading
What Makes Vitiligo Worse?
Vitiligoaffects everyone differently. The condition usually begins with small white patches in a localized area. If it progresses, it can gradually spread across the body over time.
This article discusses the stages of vitiligo and the types and signs you can expect over time. It also discusses how to prevent vitiligo from getting worse.
Vitiligo is a skin disease that causes the development of smooth white areas where the skin loses its color. Depending on their size, those areas, calledmaculesor patches, occur due to a lack of melanin or pigment. Vitiligo typically occurs on the hands, face, and neck, although it can occur anywhere on the skin.
Vitiligo is anautoimmune diseasethat develops when antibodies destroymelanocytes, the cells that produce melanin in the skin.
Autoimmune DiseaseWith an autoimmune disease, your body’s immune system malfunctions and, instead of fighting viruses and infections, it attacks itself.
Autoimmune Disease
With an autoimmune disease, your body’s immune system malfunctions and, instead of fighting viruses and infections, it attacks itself.
Nearly half of those with vitiligo develop the disease before they are 21 years old.Because the skin disease is non-life-threatening and not contagious, it’s possible to live a long life with vitiligo.
Vitiligo Stages
Vitiligo does not affect everyone the same. It’s not uncommon to have a rapid loss of color in patches, and then the disease goes dormant for some time. There are three possible stages of vitiligo: localized, generalized, and universal.
Localized
This is the first stage, where patches of lighter skin are localized to one or two small areas.Early signs of vitiligo are the loss of skin colorin patches on the body. Initially, the skin may become pale before turning white. However, if blood vessels are just beneath the skin, the skin patch may look pale pink instead of white. Loss of color may also appear in the hair, which may turn prematurely gray or white.
Generalized
Small skin patches may expand and spread across the body if vitiligo progresses. This is generalized vitiligo. Patches may expand or could appear on a new part of the body.Many people with vitiligo only have localized patches, and it never becomes generalized.
Universal
In the universal stage of vitiligo, almost all skin pigment is lost in all areas of the body. Not everyone with vitiligo progresses to the universal stage; in fact, universal vitiligo is rare.
How to Prevent Worsening of Vitiligo
Types of Vitiligo
There are three main types of vitiligo: non-segmental, segmental, and mixed. There are also several subtypes.
Non-segmental
With non-segmental vitiligo, the disease shows up as symmetrical white patches on both sides of the body. The most common type of vitiligo, it can affect the arms, elbows, back of the hands, knees, feet, and skin around the eyes or other body openings.
When the condition starts, there’s usually a rapid loss of skin color. While it usually stops for a while, it can become active again. Non-segmental vitiligo generally continues with a start-and-stop cycle for the duration of the condition.
Segmental
Segmental vitiligo affects just one area of the body. Although not the dominant type of vitiligo, it is more common in children than adults and stays localized to the affected area.
About 20% to 35% of patients with vitiligo are children, according to the Global Vitiligo Foundation.
Mixed
Mixed vitiligo is a type that involves both segmental and non-segmental vitiligo. It is seen more in children than adults and is more rare. If someone hasleukotrichia, which is a white patch of hair, there is a higher chance they will go on to have mixed vitiligo.That said, not everyone with leukotrichia will go on to have mixed-type vitiligo.
Subtypes
The amount of vitiligo on the body determines the subtype of the disease. The different subtypes include:
Vitiligo affects everyone differently, so the growth rate of skin patches depends on who you are and your medical condition.
Can You Keep Vitiligo From Spreading?
While there’s not a cure for vitiligo, there are some treatments available that can prevent further spread of skin changes and ideally help treat existing areas of skin color change.
Medication
Some medications can help treat vitiligo. They include:
Lifestyle Changes
People with vitiligo need to take measures to protect their skin from harmful UV light. This includes:
There are measures people with vitiligo can take to prevent worsening symptoms:
Summary
A non-life-threatening skin disease, vitiligo is a condition where the loss of pigment leads to smooth white patches on the skin. It often appears on the hands, arms, face, and feet. Skin patches may start to appear rapidly at the onset of the disease but stop for long periods of time before they resume. Although there is no cure for vitiligo, there are treatments available to help even out skin tone.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Strassner JP, Harris JE.Understanding mechanisms of autoimmunity through translational research in vitiligo.Curr Opin Immunol.2016 Dec; 43:81-11. doi: 10.1016/j.coi.2016.09.008American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: Who Gets and Causes.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: OverviewGlobal Vitiligo Foundation.Vitiligo facts.Seneschal J.Clinical features of vitiligo and social impact on quality of life.Dermatol Pract Concept. 2023;13(4 Suppl 2):e2023312S. doi:10.5826/dpc.1304S2a312SAmerican Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: Diagnosis and Treatment.American Academy of Dermatologists Association.Vitiligo: Self-Care.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Strassner JP, Harris JE.Understanding mechanisms of autoimmunity through translational research in vitiligo.Curr Opin Immunol.2016 Dec; 43:81-11. doi: 10.1016/j.coi.2016.09.008American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: Who Gets and Causes.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: OverviewGlobal Vitiligo Foundation.Vitiligo facts.Seneschal J.Clinical features of vitiligo and social impact on quality of life.Dermatol Pract Concept. 2023;13(4 Suppl 2):e2023312S. doi:10.5826/dpc.1304S2a312SAmerican Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: Diagnosis and Treatment.American Academy of Dermatologists Association.Vitiligo: Self-Care.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Strassner JP, Harris JE.Understanding mechanisms of autoimmunity through translational research in vitiligo.Curr Opin Immunol.2016 Dec; 43:81-11. doi: 10.1016/j.coi.2016.09.008American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: Who Gets and Causes.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: OverviewGlobal Vitiligo Foundation.Vitiligo facts.Seneschal J.Clinical features of vitiligo and social impact on quality of life.Dermatol Pract Concept. 2023;13(4 Suppl 2):e2023312S. doi:10.5826/dpc.1304S2a312SAmerican Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: Diagnosis and Treatment.American Academy of Dermatologists Association.Vitiligo: Self-Care.
Strassner JP, Harris JE.Understanding mechanisms of autoimmunity through translational research in vitiligo.Curr Opin Immunol.2016 Dec; 43:81-11. doi: 10.1016/j.coi.2016.09.008
American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: Who Gets and Causes.
American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: Overview
Global Vitiligo Foundation.Vitiligo facts.
Seneschal J.Clinical features of vitiligo and social impact on quality of life.Dermatol Pract Concept. 2023;13(4 Suppl 2):e2023312S. doi:10.5826/dpc.1304S2a312S
American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: Diagnosis and Treatment.
American Academy of Dermatologists Association.Vitiligo: Self-Care.
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