Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsTypes of VitiligoSegmentalNon-Segmental VitiligoSubtypesWhat Other Conditions Are Mistaken for Vitiligo?Is It Inherited?TreatmentFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Types of Vitiligo
Segmental
Non-Segmental Vitiligo
Subtypes
What Other Conditions Are Mistaken for Vitiligo?
Is It Inherited?
Treatment
Frequently Asked Questions
Vitiligois a chronic condition that causes patches of your skin to lose pigmentation or color. The exact cause of this condition is unknown, but its believed to be a type ofautoimmune disorder.
Vitiligo usually appears between the ages of 5 and 10, with roughly 11% of pediatric cases developing before age 2. When it develops in adults, vitiligo usually appears between the ages of 10 and 30, and up to 80% of adult cases develop before age 30.
This article will review the different types and subtypes of vitiligo, what symptoms you can expect, and how this condition is treated.
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Overview of Vitiligo in Children
The primary symptom of vitiligo is the loss of skin coloring in patchy areas around your body. This loss of natural color is called depigmentation and can appear in a few different ways:
Vitiligo can also lead to certain inflammatory conditions like swelling in the ear or the eyes (uveitis).
Beyond these visible, physical symptoms, vitiligo can appear with other effects, including self-consciousness, poor self-image, or a loss of self-esteem that stems from concerns about appearance. These worries can lead to overall lower quality of life.
Causes and Risk Factors of Vitiligo
What Are the Different Types of Vitiligo?
Vitiligo is divided into types based on how and where areas of depigmentation appear.
This type of vitiligo is uncommon and usually begins at an early age. With segmental vitiligo, loss of skin color develops in patches on just one area of your body. This can be one leg, one side of your face, or several areas on just one side of your body.Hair loss over areas of discoloration occurs in about half the people with this form of vitiligo.Segmental vitiligo is also sometimes called unilateral vitiligo.
This type of vitiligo usually progresses for about a year or two after it makes an appearance and then stops.
Non-segmental vitiligo is also known as generalized vitiligo or bilateral vitiligo, and it’s the most common form of this condition.With this type, depigmented patches appear symmetrically on both sides of your body. For example, they can appear as matching spots on both legs or both arms.
With non-segmental vitiligo, the color loss is rapid and tends to be quite widespread covering large sections of your body.In some cases, this type of vitiligo can progress and then stop for a time, switching through an on-again, off-again cycle.
Though vitiligo is split into types based on where discoloration appears, there are also subtypes for describing how much of your skin is affected.
Local
With localized vitiligo, only one or a few areas of depigmentation develop, and they are limited to just a few places on the body.
Generalized
Generalized vitiligo is the most common subtype. With this form of vitiligo, scattered patches of depigmentation are usually scattered across the body.
Universal
Universal is the most severe subtype of vitiligo. With this level of disease, almost all of your skin pigmentation is gone and the majority of your skin is depigmented. This level of vitiligo is the most extensive but also rare.
Skin coloringcan appear to change or become uneven for a number of reasons, so there are several other conditions that can be confused for vitiligo. Your doctor or dermatologist may check for these conditions before confirming a diagnosis of vitiligo, and you may hear these conditions referred to as a differential diagnosis.
Some conditions commonly confused for vitiligo include:
Vitiligo on Darker Skin
The exact cause of vitiligo is unclear, and variations in more than 30 different genes have been linked to the condition. Environmental factors, genetics, stress, exposure to UV radiation, and certain chemicals are all suspected to play a role in the development of vitiligo. Only about one-fifth of cases appear to run in families. Although it’s not impossible, a pattern ofinheritancefor vitiligo hasn’t been confirmed due to the many factors involved in the appearance of vitiligo.
Who Gets Vitiligo?About 20% of people who develop vitiligo in adulthood have at least one other autoimmune condition. Examples of conditions that might occur alongside vitiligo include:Hashimoto’s thyroiditisPsoriasisRheumatoid arthritisType 1 diabetesPernicious anemiaSystemic lupus erythematosusAlopecia areataCrohn’s diseaseUlcerative colitisCeliac diseaseAddison’s diseaseOutside of these conditions and skin symptoms, people with vitiligo remain generally healthy overall.
Who Gets Vitiligo?
About 20% of people who develop vitiligo in adulthood have at least one other autoimmune condition. Examples of conditions that might occur alongside vitiligo include:Hashimoto’s thyroiditisPsoriasisRheumatoid arthritisType 1 diabetesPernicious anemiaSystemic lupus erythematosusAlopecia areataCrohn’s diseaseUlcerative colitisCeliac diseaseAddison’s diseaseOutside of these conditions and skin symptoms, people with vitiligo remain generally healthy overall.
About 20% of people who develop vitiligo in adulthood have at least one other autoimmune condition. Examples of conditions that might occur alongside vitiligo include:
Outside of these conditions and skin symptoms, people with vitiligo remain generally healthy overall.
How to Treat Vitiligo
There are several options for treating vitiligo. It’s important to take into account your preferences and treatment goals, your overall health, how much of your body is affected, and where on your body you have vitiligo.
How Vitiligo Is Treated
No Treatment
Because there is really no dangerous impact on your physical health from vitiligo, some people choose not to use any medical treatment at all. Instead, you may opt for cosmetics to camouflage depigmented areas. These may include self-tanners and makeup.
Though this “treatment” may help to address the toll this condition can take on your self-image, keep in mind that you must apply makeup and other cosmetics carefully and regularly to get an even, natural-looking result.
Topical Medications
Topical medications can add color to the skin or calm inflammation. The most common topical medication for vitiligo is a strong topical corticosteroid, but even this treatment can take four to six months to restore even some color—and that only happens for about half of the people who use it.
Keep in mind that corticosteroids carry side effects, like making your skin thinner and more delicate. For this reason, it is only for small areas, and not all varieties of corticosteroids are for your face. This medication option is most effective in people with darker skin tones and is least effective on the hands and feet.
Light Therapy
Light therapycan take several forms and help restore color to your skin in depigmented areas. These treatments can be time-consuming, and results don’t usually last long if you stop treatment.
Surgery
Surgery is an option for adults whose vitiligo has not changed for at least six months. Though this option is highly effective, it also carries a number of risks like scarring and infection.
Depigmentation
Summary
Vitiligo is a chronic skin condition that sometimes runs in families but can have several causes. People with this condition are generally healthy, and most effects are superficial or cosmetic. In some cases, people with vitiligo have other autoimmune diseases, as well.
There are several ways to treat vitiligo, including topical medications or light therapy, based on your individual condition and preferences.
Living Well with Vitiligo
A Word From Verywell
Your skin is the largest and most visible organ on your body, so dermatologic conditions often create stress and can be difficult for your self-image. There are few symptoms if any beyond appearance with vitiligo, though, and your doctor can help you either cosmetically or medically treat the condition depending on the severity. For some people, the condition progresses for a time and then goes through periods of stability.
Talk to your doctor if you are experiencing other symptoms with your vitiligo or if you need help addressing this and other skin conditions.
There is no cure for vitiligo, but progression can stop and start in some people. For others, the condition may stop progressing altogether after a few years. However, the discoloration caused may or may not be reversible for everyone even if the condition stops getting worse.Learn MoreWhat to Eat When You Have Vitiligo
There is no cure for vitiligo, but progression can stop and start in some people. For others, the condition may stop progressing altogether after a few years. However, the discoloration caused may or may not be reversible for everyone even if the condition stops getting worse.
Learn MoreWhat to Eat When You Have Vitiligo
Skin discoloration in the form of white- or light-colored patches or even hair loss are common signs of vitiligo. Where this discoloration occurs and how much of your body is affected vary.Learn MoreSymptoms of Vitiligo
Skin discoloration in the form of white- or light-colored patches or even hair loss are common signs of vitiligo. Where this discoloration occurs and how much of your body is affected vary.
Learn MoreSymptoms of Vitiligo
Learn MoreIs Vitiligo Painful?
6 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.Delgado P, Crumpton, K.A practical guide to vitiligo differential diagnoses in primary care.The Nurse Practitioner.November 2021;46(11):29-36. doi:10.1097/01.NPR.0000794516.47158.e1.National Institutes of Health.Overview of vitiligo.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: signs and symptoms.MedlinePlus.Vitiligo.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: diagnosis and treatment.Daily Med.Opzelura.
6 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.Delgado P, Crumpton, K.A practical guide to vitiligo differential diagnoses in primary care.The Nurse Practitioner.November 2021;46(11):29-36. doi:10.1097/01.NPR.0000794516.47158.e1.National Institutes of Health.Overview of vitiligo.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: signs and symptoms.MedlinePlus.Vitiligo.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: diagnosis and treatment.Daily Med.Opzelura.
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.
Delgado P, Crumpton, K.A practical guide to vitiligo differential diagnoses in primary care.The Nurse Practitioner.November 2021;46(11):29-36. doi:10.1097/01.NPR.0000794516.47158.e1.National Institutes of Health.Overview of vitiligo.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: signs and symptoms.MedlinePlus.Vitiligo.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: diagnosis and treatment.Daily Med.Opzelura.
Delgado P, Crumpton, K.A practical guide to vitiligo differential diagnoses in primary care.The Nurse Practitioner.November 2021;46(11):29-36. doi:10.1097/01.NPR.0000794516.47158.e1.
National Institutes of Health.Overview of vitiligo.
American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: signs and symptoms.
MedlinePlus.Vitiligo.
American Academy of Dermatology Association.Vitiligo: diagnosis and treatment.
Daily Med.Opzelura.
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