7 conditions that can be confused with vitiligo

ahsan65@gmail.comJuly 9, 2025

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7 conditions that can be confused with vitiligo

Tinea Versicolor is a common condition that can cause discolored skin patches.

These patches tend to be dry and scaly with pointed borders, and they can be clearer or darker than the surrounding skin. But unlike Vitiligo, Tinea Versicolor is not an autoimmune disease – it is rather the result of a fungal infection.

Tinea versicolor is caused by an accumulation of yeast which is naturally on your skin in smaller quantities.

A proliferation of this yeast can cause small places that can be white, yellow, pink, red, tanned or brown. They are most often seen on the chest, shoulders and back. As with Vitiligo, spots can become larger and possibly connect to each other.

Unlike Vitiligo, Tinea Versicolor is treatable with topical antifungal drugs. In more extreme cases, a dermatologist can prescribe oral drugs to treat it.

How do you know if it’s vitiligo?

So how do you know if you live with Vitiligo? Like many of the above conditions, the vitiligo also causes depigmented skin patches, but other symptoms include:

Skin of itching
Stains on your skin which are more prone to sunburn than others
Hair color loss patches on your scalp, eyelashes or eyebrows
Eye color changes
Loss

Additional characteristics distinguish vitiligo from other skin diseases. On the one hand, the depigmented skin plates associated with it tend to be symmetrical. They generally develop quickly and can connect and cover large areas of your body. The first signs of vitiligo also tend to develop during childhood or before the age of 20.

His symptoms are most often visible on the face, arms, hands and feet.

About 15 to 25% of people with vitiligo suffer at least another autoimmune disorder. Examples of other autoimmune conditions include psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and type 1 diabetes.

How is vitiligo diagnosed?

Although there is no cure for vitiligo, treatment can help slow the progression of the disease and even encourage the regrowth of melanocytes. But before requesting treatment, it is important to obtain a diagnosis of Vitiligo first – and to exclude the possibility of another condition with symptoms of overlap.

“In most cases, the diagnosis of Vitiligo is simple and made for clinical reasons,” explains Alpana Mohta, MD, certified dermatologist and medical advisor for better goods, which is based in the United Arab Emirates. “In order to predict the progression and the results of the disease, your dermatologist will ask you for your family history, including vitiligo, thyroid disease or any other autoimmune disorder.” She adds that a diagnosis can include autoimmune blood tests and a skin biopsy to examine melanocytes.

“A very common non -invasive office procedure to differentiate vitiligo from other similar conditions includes the assessment of vitiligo patches under a specific UVB shine emission device known as wood lamp,” explains Dr. Doctor.

If you are diagnosed with vitiligo or another autoimmune disease, it is important to follow laboratory tests and follow-up meetings, as recommended by your doctor.

If in doubt, talk to a dermatologist

Vitiligo means that light skin plates develop over time, but it is not the only condition that can do it. Knowing how vitiligo differs from other skin conditions on this list can help you reduce potential diagnoses. If you experience new or unexplained skin symptoms, contact your dermatologist or health care provider, which can help make a precise diagnosis and prescribe treatment.