Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a medical condition Michael Jackson had which causes a person’s skin to develop white patches. What happens is that the skin loses melanin. Melanin is the pigment that determines the color of your skin.

With Vitiligo the cells that produce melanin die or no longer form melanin. This causes white patches of irregular shapes to appear on your skin. They grow over time.
Vitiligo affects all races, but is usually more noticeable and disfiguring in Black people.

There is no cure for Vitiligo.

While some have questioned whether Michael Jackson had Vitiligo or was lightening his skin, Michael Jackson (as do others with the condition) was clearly making efforts to try and create a uniform appearance for his skin.

Here is an example of Vitiligo involving an unidentified, young African-American girl, which shows a similar appearance to Michael Jackson.

There is significant whitening of the skin, with a need for makeup to create a uniform facial color.

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