Diseases Commonly Confused With Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a skin disease that is often mistaken for other diseases at first. While it is not skin cancer, many people think that it is because it looks so disturbing and serious. In actuality, Vitiligo can be treated and is not a cancer at all. It is not likely to kill someone under normal circumstances. Not as much is known about this disease and that is why it is confused with diseases such as melanoma. As a result, it is hard to find medical policy coveragethat includes Vitiligo.

Skin Bleaching

Skin bleaching is often confused with Vitiligo because both involve the skin becoming a snowy shade of white. Vitiligo is not the same thing, despite confusion throughout the medical community.
Vitiligo occurs when parts of the skin do not produce melanin, which is what is responsible for the normal colors of human skin. Often occurring near the site of a mole, Vitiligo is a disease that embarrasses those who suffer from it.

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is also often mistaken for Vitiligo because most people confuse the symptoms of these two diseases. The truth is, symptoms of psoriasis include red, peeling skin that itches whereas symptoms of Vitiligo include skin that appears to be white as a ghost. Since not much is known about Vitiligo and Psoriasis is a much more common skin condition, people confuse the two due to a lack of public awareness of the symptoms and causes of Vitiligo.
Someone with pale skin could be Albino, or could just be very sick. Deficiencies can cause skin to lose its color as well, and those who simply don’t get enough sun often appear as if they have Vitiligo even when they don’t. Vitiligo often shows up on a person’s neck or back, two areas that generally don’t get much sun light. For this reason it is easy for someone with Vitiligo to assume his or her skin is losing its color due to lack of exposure to the sun.

Diabetes

Since those who suffer from diabetes can often have skin problems, it is not unusual for a diabetic to think they have Vitiligo when they don’t.
Not enough is known about Vitiligo to determine what other diseases people might confuse it with. The deterioration of the skin is often thought to be melanoma. Until the medical community does more research, there is very limited knowledge out ther
n. This disease raises more questions than answers until advances in medical research lead to a distinct set of symptoms and causes that set this disease apart from other diseases. More research is needed to clear up this disease’s mysteries.