Vitiligo or leucoderma is a socially stigmatized skin issue that carries various myths and misconceptions surrounding it. It is an autoimmune skin condition that develops when the immune system gets faulty and attacks body’s own skin cells. It harms the melanin producing skin cells that provide natural color to the skin. Due to this damage, the body loses melanin and develops white patches on the affected body areas.

It implies that vitiligo does not occur due to any external bacteria or microorganism. It is something related to body’s inner matters only.

Although vitiligo affects 0.5-2.0% of the people around the world, it is still a ‘mysterious’ skin issue because the cause and treatment for vitiligo still lack clarity. Actually, this is the case with almost every autoimmune problem, be it type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease or autoimmune thyroid problems. But the psychological impact of vitiligo is more because it affects the physical appearance of a person and skin color. Hence the lack of a proper treatment along with the lack of social awareness leads to the development of irrational myths and discrimination against the community living with vitiligo.

People living from vitiligo have to deal with psychological, social, and emotional consequences of this visible skin challenge.  Sometimes, they develop poor self-image due to social discrimination and unwelcoming attitude. All this can be mentally exhausting and can culminate into long-term psychological conditions such as anxiety and depression.

Hence, it is very important to counter the misinformation with facts and aware the society about the innocence of vitiligo.

After all, people with vitiligo are as healthy and capable as anyone else- physically as well as mentally.

With this blog post, let’s try to dispel some of the commonly circulated myths about vitiligo with correct information.

Myth #1: Vitiligo is a communicable skin issue.

Fact: No. As explained above, it is not an infection caused by external disease causing microorganisms, but it is related to the immune system. So, there is no way vitiligo can be transmitted from one person to another by touch or sharing personal use items or even having a sexual relationship. Hence, it makes no sense to keep away from people with vitiligo.

Myth #2: Vitiligo only affects the people who are dark skinned.

Fact: Vitiligo can affect anybody irrespective of their skin color or race. But vitiligo is more prominent in case of dark skinned people because the de-pigmentation causes white patches which are in contrast to their dark skin.

Myth #3: A person living with vitiligo is going to be physically weak or tired all the time.

Fact: Vitiligo is an autoimmune problem and there is a chance that the people with vitiligo may develop another autoimmune condition in the later stages of their lives. Having said that, vitiligo itself does not affect the physical endurance or capabilities of a person. If the person is under treatment, the medication might lead to fatigue or tiredness, but there is no scientific evidence about the lack of physical or mental abilities in people living with leucoderma.

Myth #4 Vitiligo affects the mental health of the person.

Fact: Vitiligo affects the skin color only. It has no direct impact on the mental health or intellect of the person. However, dealing with people’s stares, distasteful comments and discretionary behavior can sometimes make a person socially insecure and introvert.

Myth #5: The children of mixed race parents are at a greater risk of vitiligo

Fact: Some people believe that people with vitiligo have patchy skin from birth because their parents are of mixed race. It is totally incorrect because people with vitiligo are born with even skin tone and they develop vitiligo later on owing to certain reasons that trigger an autoimmune reaction in the form of lost of skin pigment.

Myth #6: The children of a vitiligo affected parent will also develop this condition.

Fact: This assumption causes so many hurdles for the people with vitiligo in marriage related discussions. The impact of this misconception is so huge that the marriage prospects of the other family members (siblings) also get compromised.

It is true that vitiligo does show a fair amount of genetic transmission but it’s not 100% hereditary. Almost 20-30% of people with vitiligo have shown a family history of this condition. It means, someone in their immediate family or close relatives also have vitiligo. It means, the remaining 70-80% people develop vitiligo despite of no family history. So, we can say that faulty genes from parents makes a child more susceptible to vitiligo in comparison to other kids of ‘normal skinned’ parents. But, it is never a 100% thing that the child will develop vitiligo for sure.

Here again, I would like to mention that there is a long list of common ailments with genetic component such as diabetes, hypertension, thyroid problems and many others. But, vitiligo is stigmatized the most because of its visible nature.

Myth #7: Vitiligo is caused by eating the wrong combination of foods.

Fact: Some people believe that eating fish and milk together makes it a wrong combination and can cause vitiligo. There is no medical evidence to support this claim.

But, at the same time, we should know that poor gut health and impaired liver are among the possible causes for triggering an autoimmune reaction and skin de-pigmentation. So, it makes sense to consume a healthy diet avoiding allergic foods and triggers.

Wrong food combination implies foods which are incompatible to each other. It means that they may not be properly digested if consumed together or immediately one after the other. Ayurveda recommends avoiding incompatible foods together as it may lead to poor digestion and blood impurity.

Myth #8: vitiligo is a punishment given by God for some wrongdoings in the past life.

Fact: This is a completely baseless myth among people in some of the backward parts of the world. To eradicate such weird misconceptions and stereotypes, the right information about vitiligo has to be spread across the world.

Myth #9: Vitiligo is a ‘hopeless’ skin issue with no cure.

Fact: It is true that the cure for vitiligo is yet to be discovered. It means that there is no treatment available as of now which can eradicate vitiligo once forever. But, there are treatments available to manage the symptoms and stop further spreading of white patches as well as stimulating skin re-pigmentation in the affected areas. Treatment in the form of topical (external application) medications, oral drugs, UV light therapy and even surgical procedures are available. But, the treatments can be time taking and there are chances of relapse, that is, symptoms returning back after some time.

Myth #10: Having vitiligo increases the risk of developing serious skin problems such as skin cancer.

Fact: No, it’s not true. The melanin provides protection to skin against UV rays of the sunlight and the absence of melanin (as in case of vitiligo) makes the skin more sensitive to sunburn.

So, some people anticipate that vitiligo affected skin has poor protection against the intense UV rays and hence, at a greater risk of developing skin cancer. But, this assumption has no medical basis.

In fact, studies have suggested that the people with vitiligo are at lesser risk of developing skin cancer than those with ‘normal’ skin.

Having said that, it is important to protect the vitiligo affected skin from sunlight by wearing sunscreen or covering the skin with clothing.