Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
Vitiligo occurs when melanin-forming cells (melanocytes) fail to produce melanin — the dark pigment in the epidermis that gives your skin its normal color. The involved patch of skin then becomes white. It isn't known why this occurs.
Doctors and scientists have theories as to what causes vitiligo. It may be due to an immune system disorder. Heredity may be a factor because there's an increased incidence of vitiligo in some families. Some people have reported a single event, such as sunburn or emotional distress, that triggered the condition. Sometimes pigment loss can occur in someone who’s had a melanoma, a malignancy of the cells that produce melanin (melanocytes). However, none of these theories has been proved as a definite cause of vitiligo.
- 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.
Find Mayo Clinic on