
About Vitiligo
Vitiligo is a chronic (long-term) autoimmune disease that causes the skin to lose its color (also called skin depigmentation). In vitiligo, the immune system, which normally protects your body from infection, does not work properly and destroys the melanocytes. Melanocytes are the cells in the skin that produce melanin, the pigment responsible for the color of your skin. When melanocytes are destroyed, they stop producing melanin which leads to the appearance of white (or light) patches on the skin1-2.
Vitiligo affects 65-100 million people worldwide,3 although this number may be higher as vitiligo is often misdiagnosed or under-reported. Vitiligo can occur at any age, but most patients have the first white patches appear before the age of 304-6. Vitiligo affects about the same number of men and women but happens slightly more in females5,6. People with vitiligo are more likely to have other autoimmune diseases, thyroid diseases being the most common7-9. Vitiligo negatively impacts mental health (anxiety and depression are the most commonly reported disorders), as well as emotional and behavioral well-being10-13.