Vitiligo: Signs and symptoms
Where does vitiligo appear on the body?
Vitiligo can develop anywhere on a person's skin. When vitiligo begins, the patches usually appear in one or more of these areas:
Face
Arms
Hands
Feet
In time, the spots and patches can grow, and vitiligo can appear in other areas of a person’s body. Some people lose color in areas called mucous membranes, which includes the genitals and the inside of the mouth and nose.
Vitiligo can also affect the hair, causing white hair or hair that turns gray prematurely.
Vitiligo can also develop inside your ear, which may affect your hearing.
What are the signs and symptoms of vitiligo?
The most noticeable sign of vitiligo is one or more areas of skin that look lighter than your natural skin tone, white, or even pink. For many people, that’s the only sign of vitiligo. However, other signs and symptoms can develop. The following explains what you may notice.
Spots and patches of lighter skin
When a person has vitiligo, the body destroys cells that make pigment. Because these cells give the skin its color, spots and patches of skin that look lighter than your natural skin tone appear. Vitiligo can appear anywhere on a person’s skin, including the genitals.
Patches turn white
When vitiligo is actively destroying cells that give a person’s skin its color, the patches can be pink or tricolor (causing a zone of tan skin between a person’s natural skin color and the white vitiligo). Once vitiligo is no longer active, the patches turn completely white, as shown here.
Lighter patches inside your mouth or nose
Vitiligo can cause loss of color in the mouth, on the lips, around the mouth, around the nose, or inside the nose.
Patches and spots sunburn easily
Skin that’s lost pigment is more sensitive to sunlight, so it sunburns quickly. That’s why sun protection is so important.
Patches itch
When vitiligo first appears or is actively spreading, patches may feel itchy. Otherwise, the spots and patches rarely cause discomfort.
Hair turns white or gray
Vitiligo can cause a person’s hair to lose its color. When vitiligo appears on the skin, hair in the area with vitiligo can turn white, as shown in picture A. Vitiligo can also cause a person’s hair to turn gray prematurely as shown in picture B.
Eyelash, eyebrow, or section of hair on the scalp turns white
Some people develop loss of color on part (or all) of an eyelash or eyebrow. Others see a streak of white hair on their head.
Hearing loss may develop
When a person has vitiligo, the body attacks cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes are the cells that give skin and hair their color. The inner ear also contains these cells. If the body attacks melanocytes in the inner ear, a person may develop hearing loss.
Vitiligo can affect your quality of life
Vitiligo can change your appearance, which leaves some people feeling:
Self-conscious
Anxious
Depressed
Angry
Embarrassed
Frustrated
If vitiligo affects the way you feel about yourself, you’re not alone. In talking with their patients, dermatologists have learned that vitiligo can change how people feel about themselves.
Some patients want to hide vitiligo. One woman confided that she wanted to wear a short-sleeved dress to a wedding but didn’t. She was too worried about what others would think when they saw the light patches on her skin.
If vitiligo affects the way you feel about yourself and life, tell your dermatologist. With help, many people feel better. Help can range from treatment that can restore lost skin color to learning how to get natural-looking results from camouflage makeup. For some patients, joining a support group or seeing a psychologist helps build their self-confidence.
Learning more about this disease can also be helpful. Some people say it helps them feel more in control. To learn why some people develop vitiligo, go to Vitiligo: Causes.
Related AAD resources
Images
Image 1: Used with permission of the American Academy of Dermatology National Library of Dermatologic Teaching Slides.
Images 2,3,4,5,9: Getty Images.
Image 6,7: Used with permission of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2016 Jun;74:1178-84.
Image 8: Used with permission of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Jul;77:17-29.
References
Alikhan A, Felsten LM, et al. “Vitiligo: A comprehensive overview Part I. Introduction, epidemiology, quality of life, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, associations, histopathology, etiology, and work-up.” J Am Acad Dermatol. 2011 Sep;65(3):473-91.
Ezzedine K, Eleftheriadou V, et al. “Psychosocial effects of vitiligo: A systematic literature review.” Am J Clin Dermatol. 2021;22(6):757-74.
Grimes PE. “Vitiligo.” In: Taylor and Kelly’s Dermatology for Skin of Color. (second edition). McGraw Hill, USA, 2016:341-8.
Kussainova A, Kassym, et al.” Vitiligo and anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” PLOS One. 2020 Nov 10;15(11):e0241445.
Linthorst Homan MW, Spuls PI, et al. “The burden of vitiligo: Patient characteristics associated with quality of life.” J Am Acad Dermatol. 2009 Sep;61(3):411-20.
Passeron T, Ortonne JP. “Vitiligo and other disorders of hypopigmentation.” In: Bolognia JL, et al. Dermatology. (fourth edition). Mosby Elsevier, China, 2018: 1087-96.
Silvan M. “The psychological aspects of vitiligo.” Cutis. 2004 Mar;73(3):163-7.
Whitton ME, Pinart M, et al. “Interventions for vitiligo.” Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Feb 24;2015(2):CD003263.
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: 4/15/26