White patches develop on the skin due to a lack of melanin.
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What is Vitiligo?
A fairly common skin condition, Vitiligo causes pale, white patches to develop on the skin due to a lack of melanin. This is the dye-like pigment that exists in melonocytes (skin cells) that gives the skin its colour and protects it from the sun's rays.
The parts of the body exposed normally exposed to sunlight that normally contract Vitiligo, such as the hands, neck and face.
These white patches are normally permanent but it varies from person to person how much of the body is taken up by them. In some people the white patches will remain as small white patches, whilst in other cases they might join up to cover wide areas.