skin disorders
Vitiligo
Symptoms of Vitiligo
In some people, one or two well-defined patches of vitiligo appear. In other people, patches appear over a large part of the body. Rarely, vitiligo occurs over most of the skin surface. The changes are most striking in people with darker skin. Commonly affected areas are the face, fingers and toes, wrists, elbows, knees, hands, shins, ankles, armpits, anus and genital area, navel, and nipples. The affected skin is extremely prone to sunburn. The areas of skin affected by vitiligo also produce white hair because melanocytes are lost from the hair follicles. The white spots on the ankle are vitiligo, which is caused by loss of skin pigment–producing cells (melanocytes). Image provided by Thomas Habif, MD. © Springer Science+Business Media © Springer Science+Business Media Hair in areas affected by vitiligo is usually white. © Springer Science+Business Media 