Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease that causes your skin to lose color, often resulting in white patches on your skin that cover both sides of your body.

What autoimmune diseases cause hyperpigmentation?

Lupus erythematosus (LE) is an autoimmune disorder commonly affecting the skin; cutaneous lesions may indicate systemic involvement, warranting further evaluation. Photosensitivity, which may result in hyperpigmentation, is a well-known feature of the disease.

What autoimmune diseases affect the skin?

There are several common autoimmune diseases that affect the skin. These include vitiligo, scleroderma, lupus, psoriasis and vasculitis.

What illness causes skin discoloration?

Vitiligo is a condition in which the skin loses its pigment cells (melanocytes). This can result in discolored patches in different areas of the body, including the skin, hair and mucous membranes.

What causes sudden discoloration of the skin?

Some of the more common causes for changes in skin color are illness, injury, and inflammatory problems. Discolored skin patches also commonly develop in a certain part of the body due to a difference in melanin levels. Melanin is the substance that provides color to the skin and protects it from the sun.

Vitiligo: When the Immune System Attacks & Causes Skin Discoloration

What looks like vitiligo but is not?

Thermal burns, inflammatory skin disorders like psoriasis, or bacterial infections like leprosy may cause a reversible loss of skin color. Genetically determined diseases like piebaldism can also create distinctive patterns of milky white skin and hair, which can be mistaken for vitiligo.

Why am I getting brown patches on my skin?

Age spots are caused by overactive pigment cells. Ultraviolet (UV) light speeds up the production of melanin, a natural pigment that gives skin its color. On skin that has had years of sun exposure, age spots appear when melanin becomes clumped or is produced in high concentrations.

Does thyroid cause skin discoloration?

Sensitive Skin and Skin Discoloration

With hyperthyroidism, you may notice itchy and dry patches of skin. Your face may feel softer and swollen. You may even notice swelling around your fingertips. Other symptoms include darkening of the skin, rashes, lumps, and reddish spots.

Is vitiligo an autoimmune disease?

The cause of vitiligo is unknown, but research suggests that vitiligo may be an autoimmune disease. The autoimmune system works throughout your body to fight off and defend your body from viruses, bacteria, and infection.

Is it melasma or related to autoimmune disease?

Is Melasma an Autoimmune Disease? Melasma is not considered an autoimmune disease. A possible cause of this skin condition is having cells produce higher amounts of color or pigmentation than usual. Those who have darker skin have a higher risk of having melasma.

Why is my immune system attacking my skin?

On a basic level, autoimmune disease occurs because the body's natural defenses — the immune system — attack the body's own healthy tissue. Researchers have several ideas about why this happens. When the body senses danger from a virus or infection, the immune system kicks into gear and attacks it.

Which autoimmune disease affects the skin and blood vessels?

Rheumatoid vasculitis is a condition that causes inflammation of small or medium-sized blood vessels. It happens in some people who have had RA for a long time. It most often affects vessels of the skin, fingers and toes, nerves, eyes, and heart.

What is lupus of the skin?

Cutaneous lupus is a type of lupus. It causes a red, scaly rash on the skin. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that causes your body to attack healthy tissues.

Can lupus cause skin pigmentation?

In patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) treated with antimalarials, the incidence of cutaneous hyperpigmentation has been reported to run as high as 10% to 25%,^1,2 with the majority of reported cases involving chloroquine treatment.

Does lupus cause dark spots on skin?

Chronic Cutaneous Lupus

Lesions most often appear on the face, ears, scalp, neck, and hands. They are usually not itchy or painful, but they may cause dark spots or scars that remain on the skin after they heal.

Is vitiligo a symptom of lupus?

Is vitiligo a form of lupus? No, vitiligo is not a form of lupus. Both are autoimmune conditions that can affect your skin. If you have one, you are more likely to get the other.

What is the most common autoimmune disease with vitiligo?

The two most common comorbid autoimmune diseases were thyroid disease (12.3% of patients) and alopecia areata (3.8% of patients).

What other autoimmune diseases are associated with vitiligo?

What they learned was that vitiligo was “very highly associated” with a number of other autoimmune diseases, mostly thyroid disease, but also pernicious anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, lupus, Addison's disease, and adult-onset autoimmune diabetes.

Does Hashimoto's cause skin problems?

Hashimoto's disease can have a wide range of symptoms. Although this condition originates in the thyroid gland, it can affect the skin, nails, and hair. For that reason, it can be a dermatologist who first notices the signs of Hashimoto's disease.

Can Hashimoto's cause vitiligo?

In addition to thyroid diseases, such as Hashimoto's disease and Graves' disease, vitiligo has been observed in patients with other autoimmune conditions, including dermatologic, endocrine, hemolytic, and neurologic conditions (Table 1) [5,13-16].

Can hypothyroidism cause skin darkening?

In hypothyroidism, the skin tends to be pale both because of the dermal mucopolysaccharides and dermal water content. In addition, increased dermal carotene may appear as a prominent yellow hue on the palms, soles and nasolabial folds.

Is skin discoloration normal?

What is Skin Discoloration? Discolored patches of skin, including birthmarks, pigmentation defects, rashes, and infections, are normal and have many causes. Some causes are innocuous, but medical treatment will be needed for others. The skin contains melanin, which is the pigment that gives skin its color.

What does acanthosis nigricans look like?

The main symptoms of acanthosis nigricans are hyperpigmentation and hyperkeratosis. A person may notice changes in the color and texture of their skin. The color may become grey, black, or brown. The appearance and texture may become velvety.

What causes skin discoloration on lower legs?

You may notice that the skin on your lower legs becomes discolored or appears bruised as you age. The technical term for this is hemosiderin staining. It's caused by a problem with the blood vessels in your legs called chronic venous insufficiency. You may need to make lifestyle changes to help fix the condition.

What can be misdiagnosed as vitiligo?

Thermal burns, inflammatory skin disorders like psoriasis, or bacterial infections like leprosy may cause a reversible loss of skin color. Genetically determined diseases like piebaldism can also create distinctive patterns of milky white skin and hair, which can be mistaken for vitiligo.