Vitiligo: FAQs
What is vitiligo?
Vitiligo is a condition that causes skin to lose color. Areas of skin may look lighter than your natural skin tone, white, or even pink. Sometimes, hair turns white where skin loses its color. Dermatologists provide treatment to help restore skin color and prevent your skin from losing more color.
Is vitiligo contagious?
No. You cannot catch vitiligo from someone or give it to anyone.
Is vitiligo dangerous?
While vitiligo can change your appearance, it isn’t harmful to your health.
People of all skin tones develop vitiligo
Vitiligo is most visible when someone has a darker skin tone or tan.
How does vitiligo start?
Vitiligo usually begins with a few small patches that look lighter than your natural skin tone. These patches may stay the same size for years or grow larger. New patches can appear close to or far from existing vitiligo.
There’s no way to know whether patches will get larger or new ones will appear. There’s also no way to predict how much color someone’s skin will lose. What you see is also affected by the type of vitiligo you have.
What are the types of vitiligo?
There are three main types of vitiligo:
Non-segmental vitiligo
This is the most common type. Here’s how to identify non-segmental vitiligo:
Patches appear on both sides of the body, such as on both knees or both hands.
It tends to spread slowly with new patches developing off and on throughout a person’s lifetime.
Color loss can occur anywhere on your body.
Non-segmental vitiligo
When a person has non-segmental vitiligo, patches of color loss appear on both sides of the body, as shown here.
If you have non-segmental vitiligo, you may hear your dermatologist use a term to describe how much color loss has occurred. Here’s what each term means:
Localized vitiligo: A few spots or patches appear in one or a few places on the body.
Generalized vitiligo: Scattered patches of lost color appear on different areas of the body.
Universal vitiligo: Loss of most skin color, which is rare.
Segmental vitiligo
Here’s how to identify this type of vitiligo:
Color loss occurs on one side (and one part) of your body, such as one arm, one leg, or one side of the face.
Color loss spreads rapidly, usually for 6 to 12 months, and then stops (stabilizes).
Once color loss stops (stabilizes), most people don’t develop new spots or patches.
Some hair growing in the area with color loss may turn white, such as a bit of hair on your scalp, eyebrow, or eyelash.
Most people develop segmental vitiligo before 30 years of age.
Segmental vitiligo
Segmental vitiligo causes the skin to lose color on one side or part of the body, without color loss occurring on the other side.
Mixed type vitiligo
With this type, people develop both segmental and nonsegmental vitiligo. Mixed type vitiligo is rare.
Is there a cure for vitiligo?
While vitiligo cannot be cured, treatment may restore lost skin color. Research shows that having an even skin tone can greatly improve both physical and mental well-being.
Can you stop vitiligo from spreading?
Board-certified dermatologists offer treatment that can:
Restore a person’s natural skin tone
Reduce vitiligo from spreading to other areas
No treatment works for everyone. To achieve the best results, dermatologists develop an individualized treatment plan for each patient. A dermatologist can tell you what options will likely work best for you.
Does vitiligo increase your risk of developing skin cancer?
No. People who have vitiligo do not have an increased risk of developing skin cancer where they’ve lost skin color.
If this answer surprises you, you’re not alone. Many patients with vitiligo believe that their lost skin color increases the likelihood of developing skin cancer. It’s logical to think this because:
Having a light skin tone increases the risk of developing skin cancer.
Vitiligo develops when the body destroys cells that provide some protection from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Exactly why skin cancer doesn’t develop in patches of vitiligo as expected isn’t fully understood. We know that vitiligo develops when a person’s immune system destroys healthy cells. It’s possible that the immune system might also be destroying early cancer cells. More research is needed to know.
Sun protection is still essential if you have vitiligo. Skin that’s lost its color sunburns easily. This can be painful. Also, while vitiligo does not increase your risk of developing skin cancer, you can still get skin cancer.
Can you prevent vitiligo?
There is currently no way to prevent vitiligo. Treatment can:
Restore lost skin color.
Prevent vitiligo from causing more color loss.
The sooner vitiligo treatment starts, the more effective it tends to be.
However, no one with vitiligo should be discouraged from seeking treatment. Newer treatments are helping more people restore their skin color. People who’ve had untreated vitiligo for years are seeing some return of their natural skin color.
Does vitiligo ever go away on its own?
Some people who have vitiligo see a bit of their natural skin color return without treatment. However, complete return of lost skin color is rare. For most people, the areas of color loss remain and grow larger if vitiligo is left untreated.
To see different ways that patches and spots of vitiligo can appear on the skin, go to Vitiligo: Signs and symptoms.
Related AAD resources
Images
Image 1: Getty Images
Images 2,3: J Am Acad Dermatol 2010 Jun;62:945-9.
References
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Baykal Selçuk L, Katkat E, et al. “Sun-protection habits and knowledge of patients with vitiligo.” Acta Dermatovenerol Alp Pannonica Adriat. 2020 Mar;29(1):7-10.
Felsten LM, Alikhan A, et al. “Vitiligo: A comprehensive overview Part II: Treatment options and approach to treatment.” J Am Acad Dermatol. 2011 Sep;65(3):493-514.
Grimes PE. “Vitiligo.” In: Taylor and Kelly’s Dermatology for Skin of Color. (second edition). McGraw Hill, USA, 2016:341-8.
Harris JE. “Translational research in vitiligo: Launching a new era of targeted treatments.” Presented at: American Academy of Dermatology Summer Meeting 2019; July 25-28, New York.
Mazereeuw-Hautier J, Bezio S, et al. “Segmental and nonsegmental childhood vitiligo has distinct clinical characteristics: A prospective observational study.” J Am Acad Dermatol. 2010 Jun;62(6):945-9.
Mu EW, Cohen BE, et al. “Early-onset childhood vitiligo is associated with a more extensive and progressive course.” J Am Acad Dermatol. 2015 Sep;73(3):467-70.
Passeron T, Ortonne JP. “Vitiligo and other disorders of hypopigmentation.” In: Bolognia JL, et al. Dermatology. (fourth edition). Mosby Elsevier, China, 2018: 1087-96.
Rodrigues M, Ezzedine K, et. al. (Vitiligo Working Group).
“New discoveries in the pathogenesis and classification of vitiligo.” J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017Jul;77(1):1-13.
“Current and emerging treatments for vitiligo.” J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Jul;77(1):17-29.
Wongpraparut O, Wannawittayapa T, et al. “Knowledge, attitude, and behavior of photoprotection in Thai vitiligo patients.” Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2025 Dec 28;18:3635-44.
Written by:
Paula Ludmann, MS
Reviewed by:
Jennifer Adams, MD, DTM&H, FAAD
Estaban Fernandez Faith, MD, FAAD
John E. Harris, MD, PhD, FAAD
Roopal Kundu, MD, FAAD
William Warren Kwan, MD, FAAD
Darrell S. Rigel, MD, MS, FAAD
Desmond Shipp, MD, MSBS, FAAD
Last updated: 4/14/26