vitiligo

American  

[vit-l-ahy-goh, -ee-goh] / ˌvɪt lˈaɪ goʊ, -ˈi goʊ /

noun

Pathology.

1. a skin disorder characterized by smooth, white patches on various parts of the body, caused by the loss of the natural pigment.

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vitiligo British  

/ ˌvɪtɪˈlaɪɡəʊ /

noun

1. another name for leucoderma

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Other Word Forms

• vitiliginous adjective
• vitiligoid adjective

Etymology

Origin of vitiligo

1650–60; < Latin vitilīgō form of skin eruption, apparently equivalent to *vitil ( is ) defective ( vit ( ium ) blemish + -ilis -ile ) + -īgō noun suffix

Explanation

A skin condition that results in pale patches on a person's skin is called vitiligo. Once vitiligo first appears, it often spreads to other parts of the body. There's no known cure for vitiligo, which has no physical symptoms aside from a loss of pigmentation, or color, on a person's skin. The difficult part of having vitiligo is that people can be stigmatized or bullied for looking different. Recently, however, more companies have been using models with vitiligo in ad campaigns to show that looking different is beautiful.

Example Sentences

Higgsfield, a platform for generating virtual models, gives creators options to add scars, burns, albinism -- a lack of melanin pigmentation -- and vitiligo, which causes white patches on the skin.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

Labeled “the devil’s child” for her vitiligo at her orphanage, DePrince found hope in a magazine photo of an American ballerina in pointe shoes.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2024

This strategy could also be adapted to treat other autoimmune skin diseases such as vitiligo, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis, the researchers say.

From Science Daily • May 9, 2024

The 54-year-old has a condition called vitiligo, which has caused pigment loss in parts of his skin.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2024

“Like Dr. Howard said, you are perfectly healthy. Your vitiligo isn’t going to make you sick. You’re going to be just fine.”

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish