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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Vitiligo (vit-ih-LI-go) is a condition in which your skin loses melanin, the pigment that determines the color of your skin, hair and eyes. Vitiligo occurs when the cells that produce melanin die or no longer form melanin, causing slowly enlarging white patches of irregular shapes to appear on your skin.
Vitiligo affects all races, but may be more noticeable in people with darker skin. Vitiligo usually starts as small areas of pigment loss that spread with time. There is no cure for vitiligo. The goal of treatment is to stop or slow the progression of pigment loss and, if you desire, attempt to return some color to your skin.
References
- Goldstein BG, et al. Vitiligo. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 25, 2011.
- Vitiligo. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/common_vitilgo.html. Accessed Feb. 8, 2011.
- Questions and answers about vitiligo. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Vitiligo/default.asp. Accessed Feb. 8, 2011.
- Tahir MA, et al. Current remedies for vitiligo. Autoimmunity Reviews. 2010;9:516.
- Whitton ME, et al. Interventions for vitiligo (review). Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews. 2010:CD7. http://www.thecochranelibrary.com. Accessed Feb. 8, 2011.
- Gawkrodger DJ, et al. Vitiligo: Concise evidence based guidelines on diagnosis and management. Postgraduate Medical Journal. 2010;86:466.
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