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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Partly. A doctor by video can assess the patches and prescribe creams; light treatment and skin grafting are done in person.
- What it is: a long-term condition where the skin loses its pigment cells in patches; it affects about 0.5 to 2% of people.
- Not contagious: vitiligo is not an infection, and you cannot catch it from someone who has it.
- Usual course: unpredictable; patches can stay the same for years or spread, and treatment can restore some colour but cannot stop it spreading.
- Emergency: vitiligo is not an emergency, but call 112 for swelling of the face, lips or tongue, or difficulty breathing after a new cream or medicine.
Vitiligo is not urgent, and a video consultation suits most questions about it. Swelling of the face, lips or tongue, or difficulty breathing after a new cream or medicine needs 112. Severe sunburn on pale patches, with large blisters or feeling unwell, needs prompt in-person care.
Can an online doctor treat vitiligo?
Partly. Vitiligo is usually diagnosed by looking at the skin, so a doctor by video can recognise it, tell it apart from other causes of pale patches, and prescribe the creams that are the first treatment. The doctor can also arrange a blood test for thyroid disease and help with camouflage, sun protection and the emotional side. Light treatment, skin grafting and some newer treatments are given by dermatology teams in person.
How an online consultation helps with vitiligo
- A clear diagnosis: Vitiligo, a fungal infection or pale skin after a rash: the doctor tells them apart from the pattern.
- Treatment for each area: Creams chosen for the face, the body and skin folds, and how long to use them before judging.
- Linked conditions checked: A blood test for thyroid disease when it is needed, and what other symptoms to watch for.
- Living with it: Camouflage, sun protection, and support when vitiligo affects your confidence.
What the doctor checks in an online consultation
The doctor asks about:
- The patches: where they are, when they started, and whether they are spreading or stable.
- Hair: white or grey hair in the patches, on the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes or beard.
- Triggers: cuts, burns, friction, severe sunburn or a stressful event before the patches appeared.
- Family history: vitiligo or autoimmune conditions in your relatives.
- Your health: thyroid problems, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or patchy hair loss.
- What you have tried: creams, light treatment and their effect.
Before the call, find good daylight and take photos of the patches. Photos taken a few months apart show whether vitiligo is spreading or stable.
Vitiligo symptoms
Vitiligo causes pale or milky-white patches of skin with a clear edge. The patches can appear anywhere, but they are most common on the face, neck and hands, and in skin creases. Other common places are:
- around the mouth and eyes
- the fingers and wrists
- the armpits and groin
- the genitals
Hair growing in a patch can turn white or grey, including on the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes and beard. The patches do not usually feel dry and are not painful, but some people feel itching before a new patch appears. The edges can be smooth or irregular, sometimes red and inflamed, or brownish, and the inside of the mouth or nose can lose colour too. Vitiligo affects all skin tones, including white skin, where the patches can be hard to see without an ultraviolet lamp. On darker skin, the contrast makes them easier to see, and this can be especially distressing.
Types of vitiligo
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Type | What it looks like | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|
| Non-segmental vitiligo | Patches on both sides of the body, often matching each other | The most common type in adults |
| Segmental vitiligo | Patches on one side or one area of the body, often a single patch | More common in children |
| Universal vitiligo | Loss of colour over more than 80% of the skin | Rare |
Non-segmental vitiligo accounts for about 9 in 10 cases and is the type most likely to spread. Segmental vitiligo usually starts earlier and spreads quickly at first, then usually stays stable after the first 6 months to 2 years. Vitiligo of the mouth or genitals is called mucosal vitiligo.
What causes vitiligo?
Vitiligo happens when the skin loses the cells that make melanin, the pigment that gives skin its colour. Non-segmental vitiligo is thought to be an autoimmune condition, where the immune system destroys these cells; segmental vitiligo may be caused by chemicals released from nerve endings in the skin. Half of people with the common type notice it before the age of 20, and 8 in 10 people with vitiligo before 30, but it can start at any age. It affects men and women equally. It runs in families: 20 to 30% of people with vitiligo have a close relative with it, although having vitiligo does not mean your children will get it. There is no proven link with diet or smoking.
Possible triggers
- skin injury, such as cuts, burns or friction; new patches can appear at the site, which is called the Koebner phenomenon
- severe sunburn
- stressful events, although this link is not proven
- hormonal changes, such as puberty
- exposure to certain chemicals
Linked conditions
The strongest link is with thyroid disease, which affects up to 15% of adults with vitiligo. Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and patchy hair loss called alopecia areata are also more common.
How vitiligo is diagnosed
A doctor can usually diagnose vitiligo by looking at the patches and asking about your history. In person, an ultraviolet lamp called a Wood’s lamp makes pale patches easier to see, especially on light skin. No blood test is needed to diagnose vitiligo itself, but one may check your thyroid because of the link with thyroid disease.
Other conditions cause pale patches too. Pityriasis versicolor, a common yeast infection, causes pale or darker patches with a fine scale on the chest and back, and skin can be paler for a while after eczema or another rash heals.
Does vitiligo spread, and can colour come back?
It can. The course is hard to predict: patches can stay the same for years, spread slowly over months, or alternate between spreading and quiet spells. Skin injury, severe sunburn and stressful events can trigger new patches.
- Colour returning: about 10 to 20% of people regain their colour fully. In others, some colour returns by itself after sun exposure, mainly in younger people, though usually not all of it.
- Better chances: vitiligo that started before the age of 20, that spread fast for 6 months or less, or that is mainly on the face.
- Lower chances: vitiligo that started after 20, or that affects the lips, hands or limbs.
- Treatment: creams and light treatment can bring back some colour, but they cannot stop vitiligo spreading, and the colour does not always last.
Which vitiligo treatment might the doctor recommend?
Treatment depends on where the patches are, how much skin is affected, and how much the vitiligo bothers you. Treatment is a choice, not a must. This is the framework the doctors use, in line with NHS and dermatology guidance.
Swipe sideways to compare →
| What you have | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small patches you want to hide | Camouflage make-up and sun protection | Yes | Not usually needed |
| Patches on the body, arms or legs | A steroid cream for up to 3 months | Yes | If it does not respond |
| Patches on the face, eyelids or skin folds | A non-steroid cream that does not thin the skin | Yes | If it does not respond |
| Widespread or spreading vitiligo | Light treatment (narrowband UVB) | Yes, to assess | For the light treatment |
| Stable patches that have not responded | Skin grafting by a specialist | Yes, to assess | For the procedure |
New pale patches on your skin? A doctor can tell you what they are and what helps in one consultation.
See available times →Treatment options for vitiligo
What you can do yourself
- Protect pale patches from the sun with clothing and shade, plus a sunscreen of SPF 50 with a 4- or 5-star UVA rating, reapplied every 2 hours and after swimming, towel-drying or exercise: the patches burn easily and cannot tan.
- Use camouflage make-up, skin dye or a fake tan to cover small patches or even out skin tone, if you want to.
- If you cover up and avoid the sun, ask the doctor about a vitamin D supplement.
- Avoid cuts, burns and friction where you can, as new patches can appear at injured skin.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. Steroid creams can restore some colour on the body, arms and legs, used for up to 3 months at a time; long-term use can cause stretch marks and thinning skin. On the face, eyelids and skin folds, non-steroid creams called calcineurin inhibitors, such as tacrolimus or pimecrolimus, are preferred because they do not thin the skin. A newer cream called ruxolitinib, a JAK inhibitor, is approved for non-segmental vitiligo in people over 12 who also have vitiligo on the face, and the face responds better than the body; the doctor can tell you whether a dermatologist should consider it. Colour returns slowly over months, often only partly, and the effect does not always last. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
In-person treatments
Light treatment with narrowband UVB is given in hospital clinics 2 to 3 times a week, for at least 12 weeks and usually for 12 months or longer; in one large review, about a third of people had a useful response after 12 months. For patches that have stayed the same for over a year, grafting moves small pieces of pigmented skin to the pale areas, and an excimer laser may help small, stable patches. For very widespread vitiligo on dark skin, some people choose to remove the remaining pigment so the skin is one colour.
What does not help
Tanning makes the patches stand out more, because the skin around them darkens while they cannot, and sunburn may make vitiligo spread.
Living with vitiligo
Problems with confidence and self-esteem are common with vitiligo. Patient support groups offer advice and contact with others who have vitiligo, and a doctor can talk through how it is affecting you and what support would help.
If vitiligo affects your mood or confidence, talking therapy can help, and the doctor can discuss what support suits you.
Special situations
Thyroid symptoms
Tiredness, weight change, or feeling unusually hot or cold can be signs of thyroid disease, which is more common with vitiligo. Mention them, and a blood test can be arranged.
Eyes and hearing
Vitiligo is linked with inflammation inside the eye, such as iritis and uveitis, and with partial hearing loss. A painful red eye or blurred vision needs prompt in-person care, and changes in your hearing are worth mentioning to the doctor.
Darker skin
Vitiligo shows more on darker skin, and camouflage products in a matching shade can help. Treatment choices are the same.
Pregnancy
Tell the doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, as this affects which creams and treatments are suitable.
Children
Mobi Doctor consultations are for adults aged 18 and over. A child who is unwell needs a paediatrician or a local doctor in person, and emergency signs in a child mean 112.
When vitiligo is treated online, and when you need in-person care
Treated online: diagnosis of typical vitiligo, steroid and non-steroid creams, advice on camouflage and sun protection, blood tests for thyroid disease, follow-up of how it is responding, and support with how it affects you.
In-person care: light treatment, skin grafting, depigmentation treatment, specialist medicines, a Wood’s lamp examination when the diagnosis is unclear, and severe sunburn.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 or go to an emergency department now for:
- swelling of the face, lips or tongue, or difficulty breathing after a new cream or medicine
Get medical advice the same day for:
- severe sunburn with large blisters, or sunburn with a high temperature or feeling unwell
- a painful, blistering rash after starting a cream or light treatment
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: daily 7am–11pm CEST. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about vitiligo: show the patches on camera in good daylight, and share photos that show how they have changed.
- Leave with a plan: what to do, what to use and for how long, and which signs mean you should be seen in person. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
No sign-up needed
Not sure it’s vitiligo? Tick every symptom you have to see each condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? Pityriasis versicolor can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about vitiligo
What is vitiligo?
Vitiligo is a long-term condition where pale white patches develop on the skin because the cells that make pigment are lost. It affects about 0.5 to 2% of people, and half of people with the common type notice it before the age of 20.
Is it vitiligo or something else?
Vitiligo patches are milky white, smooth, well-defined and symmetrical, often around the eyes, mouth, hands, elbows and knees, and they glow under a doctor’s ultraviolet lamp. Pityriasis versicolor is paler rather than white, slightly scaly, on the trunk, and clears with antifungals; pityriasis alba is faint dry patches on children’s cheeks; post-inflammatory hypopigmentation follows a rash or injury and slowly recovers; and halo naevi are white rings around moles. The doctor tells them apart on camera, sometimes in person with a lamp.
Can white people get vitiligo?
Yes. Vitiligo affects all skin tones and ethnic groups equally. On white skin the patches are harder to see, and they stand out more after the skin around them tans.
Is vitiligo hereditary?
It can run in families: 20 to 30% of people with vitiligo have a close relative with it, and many genes are involved. But having vitiligo does not mean your children will get it.
Is vitiligo contagious?
No. Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition, not an infection, so you cannot catch it from someone who has it or pass it on by touch, sharing towels, swimming or sex, and it is not caused by poor hygiene or by anything the person did; it can run in families, because the tendency is inherited, which is a different thing from being contagious.
What causes vitiligo?
Non-segmental vitiligo is thought to be autoimmune: the immune system destroys the pigment cells. It runs in families, and skin injury, severe sunburn and hormonal changes can trigger new patches.
Can vitiligo be cured?
There is no cure for vitiligo, but treatment can bring back some colour: steroid or calcineurin-inhibitor creams on new patches, and narrowband UVB light treatment for wider areas, repigment the face and trunk best and the hands and feet least. The effect does not always last, treatment cannot reliably stop vitiligo spreading, and some people choose camouflage or no treatment instead.
What is the best treatment for vitiligo?
Creams are the first step: steroid creams on the body, and non-steroid creams on the face and skin folds. Light treatment helps more widespread vitiligo, and camouflage covers patches straight away.
Does vitiligo spread?
It can. The course of vitiligo is unpredictable: patches may stay the same for years, spread slowly or quickly, or alternate between pigment loss and stability, and some colour can return on its own, especially in sun-exposed skin. Rapid spread over weeks, new patches where the skin was injured or sunburnt, and patches with a pink inflamed edge suggest active vitiligo, which is treated early.
What is the outlook for vitiligo, and how long does it last?
Vitiligo is usually lifelong. Patches typically appear over months, then stabilise for years, sometimes with further spread later; a minority of people see some colour return without treatment, and treated patches on the face and trunk repigment in most people over 6 to 12 months, while hands and feet respond least. Vitiligo does not affect physical health, but its effect on confidence is real and is a reason to treat, camouflage or seek support.
Is vitiligo a serious illness?
No. Vitiligo is not painful or dangerous, and it is not contagious. It is linked with thyroid disease and other autoimmune conditions, the patches burn easily in the sun, and it can affect confidence, so support and checks matter.
Is vitiligo linked to thyroid disease?
Yes. Thyroid disease is the condition most linked to vitiligo and affects up to 15% of adults with it, so a blood test is often suggested.
Can vitiligo be prevented?
Vitiligo cannot be prevented, because the autoimmune tendency is inherited and no trigger reliably starts it, but the spread of existing vitiligo can be limited: protect the skin from sunburn, cuts, friction and chemical irritants such as hair dye and some rubber, because new patches form at sites of skin damage; treat new patches early while they are small; manage stress; and have thyroid disease, which often goes with vitiligo, checked and treated.
Do I need to protect vitiligo patches from the sun?
Yes. Vitiligo patches have no pigment, so they burn quickly, cannot tan and are at higher risk of sun damage, and sunburn can trigger new patches through the Koebner response; cover up, use a broad-spectrum SPF 50 sunscreen on exposed patches and avoid the midday sun. Tanning the surrounding skin also makes the patches stand out more, which is a second reason for protection.
Can an online doctor treat vitiligo?
Partly. A doctor can assess vitiligo patches on camera, prescribe creams, arrange a thyroid blood test and help with camouflage. Light treatment and grafting are done in person.
- Vitiligo, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 22 March 2023.
- Vitiligo, DermNet, New Zealand, 2022.
- Vitiligo: patient information leaflet, British Association of Dermatologists, updated April 2026.
- Vitiligo, Cleveland Clinic, reviewed 23 November 2022.
- Vitiligo, NIAMS, US National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIH), accessed 15 October 2026.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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