Vitiligo: causes, myths, treatment options and living with white patches
What vitiligo is, why it is not contagious or caused by food, how a dermatologist diagnoses and treats it, and how to cope with the stigma.
What vitiligo is
Vitiligo is a long-term condition in which patches of skin lose their colour and turn white. It happens when melanocytes, the cells that make the pigment melanin, are destroyed or stop working. In most people this is thought to be an autoimmune process: the immune system mistakenly attacks the pigment cells.
Vitiligo is not contagious. You cannot catch it from touching someone, sharing food or utensils, or living with a person who has it. It is not caused by eating fish with milk, sour foods, or any other food combination, and it is not a sign of poor hygiene or a punishment. It is not related to leprosy. It does not cause pain and does not affect a person's general health, intelligence or ability to work or marry.
There are two main types. Non-segmental vitiligo, the most common, causes patches on both sides of the body and can spread over time. Segmental vitiligo affects one area or one side, usually starts earlier, and tends to stop spreading after a year or two.
Signs and symptoms
- White patches with clear borders, often starting on the hands, feet, around the mouth and eyes, elbows, knees or genitals
- Patches that are more noticeable on darker skin and after sun tanning
- Premature greying or whitening of hair on the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes or beard
- Loss of colour inside the mouth or on the lips
Patches may stay the same for years, spread slowly, or spread quickly for a time. Some areas may regain colour on their own. Patches can appear at sites of skin injury, such as cuts, burns or friction.
Causes and who is at risk
The exact cause is not fully known. Risk factors include:
- A family history of vitiligo or other autoimmune conditions
- Autoimmune thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes, alopecia areata or pernicious anaemia
- Skin injury, sunburn or friction, which can trigger new patches
- Emotional stress, which some people notice before a flare
Vitiligo can start at any age, but often begins in childhood or young adulthood. It affects people of all skin colours and both sexes equally.
How it is diagnosed
A dermatologist can usually diagnose vitiligo with a skin examination. A Wood's lamp, a handheld ultraviolet light, makes pigment loss easier to see and helps tell vitiligo from other causes of light patches, such as fungal infection, pityriasis alba, post-inflammatory marks or, rarely, leprosy, which has different features and loss of sensation.
Because vitiligo is linked to other autoimmune conditions, thyroid tests and sometimes blood sugar or other tests may be advised. A skin biopsy is rarely needed.
Which doctor to see
A dermatologist diagnoses and treats vitiligo. See one early if you notice new white patches, because treatment tends to work better on newer patches and while the condition is active. You can find dermatologists in Bengaluru on The Doctor Index, each with a registration you can check.
Treatment
There is no treatment that works for everyone, and results vary. The aims are to stop patches spreading and to bring colour back. Repigmentation is usually slow, taking months, and the face and neck respond better than the hands and feet. Your dermatologist will decide based on the type, extent and activity of your vitiligo.
Creams
Topical steroids prescribed by a dermatologist can help limited patches, used in courses with breaks. Calcineurin inhibitors, such as tacrolimus, are non-steroid creams often used on the face and other thin skin. A JAK inhibitor cream, ruxolitinib, is approved for vitiligo in some countries.
Light therapy and tablets
Phototherapy with narrowband UVB, given in a clinic two or three times a week over months, is one of the most effective treatments for widespread vitiligo. Excimer light targets smaller patches. For rapidly spreading vitiligo, short courses of steroid tablets may be used to stop the spread.
Surgery and other options
For stable vitiligo that has not changed for a year or more and has not responded to other treatment, skin grafting or cell transplant techniques can move pigment cells from normal skin to white patches. Medical tattooing can be used for small areas such as lips. For very widespread vitiligo, some people choose depigmentation of the remaining skin, which is permanent.
Living with vitiligo
Protect white patches from the sun with sunscreen and clothing, because they burn easily. Cosmetic camouflage creams and self-tanners can cover patches if you wish. Avoid injuring the skin. Vitiligo is not harmful to health, but it can affect self-esteem and relationships, and in India it still carries social stigma, including around marriage. Talking to family, joining support groups, and counselling can help. If you feel low or anxious, tell your doctor; a clinical psychologist can help, and Tele-MANAS (14416) offers free mental health support at any time.
When it is urgent
Vitiligo itself is never an emergency. Call 112 or 108 for severe allergic reactions to a treatment, such as swelling of the face or difficulty breathing. See your doctor promptly for blistering burns after phototherapy or sun exposure, or if patches are spreading quickly. If low mood leads to thoughts of self-harm, call 112 or Tele-MANAS on 14416 straight away.
Questions to ask at your appointment
- What type of vitiligo do I have, and is it active?
- Which treatment would suit me, and how long before I see results?
- How should I use each cream, and for how long?
- Would phototherapy help, and how often would I need it?
- Should I be tested for thyroid or other conditions?
- What can I do to protect my skin?
Common questions
Questions people ask
- Is vitiligo contagious?
- No. Vitiligo cannot spread from one person to another through touch, food, water, clothes or living together. It is thought to be an autoimmune condition. People with vitiligo can work, study, marry and live normal lives.
- Does eating fish with milk cause vitiligo?
- No. There is no evidence that eating fish with milk, sour foods or any other food combination causes vitiligo. Avoiding these foods will not stop patches spreading. A balanced diet is good for general health, but vitiligo is not caused by food.
- Can vitiligo be cured?
- There is no treatment that removes the tendency to vitiligo, but many people regain colour with creams, phototherapy or surgery, and treatment can stop spread. Results vary between people and body areas. Be cautious of products that promise a cure.
- Will my children get vitiligo?
- Having a parent with vitiligo raises a child's chance slightly, but most children of people with vitiligo do not develop it. It is linked to many genes and other factors, not passed on in a simple way.
This condition is usually assessed by a dermatologist. Every profile shows the doctor’s registration and what has been checked.
Dermatologists in Bangalore
A few dermatologists listed on The Doctor Index. They are shown because of their speciality, not a stated interest in Vitiligo; ask the clinic whether the doctor sees it.
Related conditions
Practical reading
All postsSources
- MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine — Vitiligo
- American Academy of Dermatology — Vitiligo: overview
- Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology — The psychosocial impact of vitiligo in Indian patients
- Press Information Bureau, Government of India — Tele-MANAS launched with 24/7 toll-free helpline 14416
- MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine — Vitiligo — Public-domain health-topic summary
Vitiligo: causes, myths, treatment options and living with white patches is original text by The Doctor Index; the compiled source draft was used for research. Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999; July 2026 data, CC BY 4.0. This product uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (hp/releases/2026-09-01). Only sources listed for this article apply. Source material has been selected and arranged; HPO definitions are reproduced without alteration. No source organisation endorses this compilation. Köhler S et al. The Human Phenotype Ontology project: linking molecular biology and disease through phenotype data. Nucleic Acids Research 2014;42(D1):D966–D974. doi:10.1093/nar/gkt1026.
General information, not advice about your situation. Errors can be reported through the corrections process. Reference TDI-C-2411.