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White patches of skin
Category: Skin, Hair & Nails · All skin symptoms
What it can feel like
White patches of skin are areas that have lost some or all of their pigment — ranging from the milk-white, sharply bordered patches of vitiligo to the faint, scaly pale patches of pityriasis. They are more noticeable in summer and on darker skin, because surrounding skin tans while the patches cannot.
Possible causes
A symptom can have many causes, and most are not serious. The lists below group conditions this symptom can be associated with — common causes first. They are possibilities to discuss with a clinician, not a diagnosis.
Common causes
White patches can be associated with vitiligo (an autoimmune loss of pigment cells, often symmetrical, favouring hands, face and body folds), with pityriasis alba in children (faint, slightly scaly patches on the cheeks), and with a yeast-related pattern (pityriasis versicolor) producing fine-scaled pale patches on the trunk.
Other possible causes
White patches can also follow inflammation or injury as pigment recovers slowly (post-inflammatory change), and rarely reflect conditions such as leprosy in travellers from endemic regions — where loss of sensation in the patch is the clue.
Red flags — when to seek help promptly
- A white patch in which you cannot feel light touch or temperature normally — prompt assessment
- Rapidly spreading depigmentation, or patches joining with hair turning white
- White patches with scaling and hair loss in a child (possible fungal cause)
- A single growing pale patch with altered texture
What a clinician may do
A clinician will examine the patches, sometimes with an ultraviolet (Wood's) lamp that makes pigment loss glow, and ask about autoimmune history (thyroid, type 1 diabetes, pernicious anaemia travel in the family). Treatment ranges from antifungal creams for versicolor to camouflage, topical treatments and light therapy for vitiligo.
Watch: related videos
Examination and clinical videos from the MedicalVideos.com library relevant to this symptom. Some clinical footage is graphic — that is the nature of a medical video library.
Related guides on MedicalVideos.com
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between vitiligo and fungal patches?
Vitiligo patches are completely depigmented — chalk white, sharply bordered, without scale, often symmetrical. Versicolor patches keep some pigment, have a fine surface scale, and favour the trunk of young adults. The Wood's lamp and a gentle scrape test separate them in clinic.
Can pigment come back?
In versicolor, colour normalises slowly over months after the yeast is treated (the pale look outlasts the infection, which confuses people). In vitiligo, repigmentation is possible — typically creeping in from hair follicles — with topical treatment and light therapy, though responses vary by site.
Related symptoms — Skin, Hair & Nails
Browse the W section of the A–Z list or return to the Symptoms A–Z hub.