Celebrity singer/actress Letoya Luckett recently got married, and if you saw her wedding pictures you may have recognized something unique about her husband, Taleo Coles. His hands displayed the same caramel brown complexion seen on his face, but only in patches. Most of the skin on his hands looks white. If you’ve ever seen a Black person with vitiligo, you may immediately recognize the appearance of this skin condition.
People in Hollywood with vitiligo are actually nothing new. Michael Jackson, and runway model Winnie Harlow were also vocal about their experience with the condition.1
More than 1.9 million people have been diagnosed with vitiligo in the United States.2 There may be many more with the condition that remain undiagnosed. While changes in skin pigmentation are easier to see on darker skin tones, most people with this autoimmune disorder are of Non-Hispanic white descent or mixed race.3,4
In this article, we will go over myths and facts about vitiligo and the uniqueness of this condition on Black skin.
What is Vitiligo?
Vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder that causes your skin to lose color or pigmentation.5 In this disorder that impacts about 1% of people worldwide, smooth white or light-colored patches appear on your skin. These patches may appear anywhere, but they usually start on your hands, forearms, feet, and face. Your hair may also turn white or silver if you have vitiligo on a part of your body that has hair.5
Vitiligo does not have to be treated, although you may choose treatment to attempt to even your skin tone.
What Causes Vitiligo?
Vitiligo happens when your immune system attacks and destroys melanocytes in your body. Melanocytes are the cells within your body that are responsible for producing melanin, the pigment that gives your skin its color. The more melanin you have, the darker your skin, hair and eyes will appear.6
The exact cause of vitiligo is unknown. There are many factors that may increase your risk of developing vitiligo, including:
- Genetic mutations can increase your risk of vitiligo, especially if you have a direct family member that also has the condition. About 25% of people with vitiligo also have a family member who also has the disease.7
- Environment changes such as sunburn, emotional stress or exposure to chemicals can trigger or worsen vitiligo.
The amount of skin affected by vitiligo varies from person to person. Your symptoms may be mild and only affect a small area of your body or they may be severe and affect a large area of your skin.5
Types of Vitiligo
There are two main types of vitiligo – segmental and nonsegmental (generalized). The vitiligo type is based on how the white patches are distributed on the body. In segmental vitiligo, the skin lesions are more localized to one area on one side of the body. This type of vitiligo usually appears rapidly. Non segmental or generalized vitiligo is characterized by a more widespread distribution of lesions on the body. Non segmental vitiligo is the most common type, affecting 84%-95% of the people with the disorder.2,7
Other types of vitiligo include mucosal vitiligo, focal vitiligo, trichome, and universal vitiligo.
Generalized vitiligo
Segmental vitiligo
Image from US Dermatology partners
Image from Research Gate
Myths About Vitiligo
Myth 1: Vitiligo is contagious
Fact: Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease that is not contagious. It cannot be spread from person to person through physical contact.5
Myth 2: Vitiligo only affects skin color
Fact: Vitiligo can cause a loss of pigmentation in the hair covering the area affected by the disorder. People with vitiligo are also usually affected by at least one other autoimmune disorder. The most commonly seen disorders include autoimmune thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis, lupus, and Crohn’s disease. People with vitiligo may also have sun sensitivities because of the lack of melanin in certain places.5,7
Myth 3: People with vitiligo are affected by depression and anxiety at the same rates as the general population
Fact: People with vitiligo are affected by depression at much greater rates as those without the disorder. Studies have shown that about 35.8% of people with vitiligo have anxiety and nearly 55% have depression.4
Learn more about vitiligo and other hair and skin health conditions by visiting our circle!
References
- Cherney, Kirsteen. Everyday Health (2022). “7 Celebrities Who Have Spoken Out About Vitiligo”. https://www.everydayhealth.com/vitiligo/celebrities-who-have-spoken-out-about-vitiligo/ Accessed August 7, 2024
- Gandhi Kavita et al. (2022) Prevalence of Vitiligo Among Adults in the United States. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.2021.4724 Accessed August 7, 2024
- Silverberg Jonathan I et al. (2014) Regional Variation of and Association of US Birthplace With Vitiligo Extent https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.2014.899 Accessed August 7, 2024
- Sangha Archana M et al. (2022) Dermatological Conditions in SKIN OF COLOR–: Debunking Vitiligo Myths https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9476987/ Accessed August 5, 2024
- Cleveland Clinic (2024) Vitiligo: Types,Symptoms,Causes,Treatment & Recovery https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12419-vitiligo Accessed August 5, 2024
- Cleveland Clinic (2022) Melanin https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22615-melanin Accessed August 8, 2024
- Medline Plus (2024) Vitiligo https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/vitiligo/ Accessed August 7, 2024
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