White Spots on the Skin

Skin discoloration, in the form of white spots can occur just about anywhere on the body, such as the upper back, forearms, neck, shoulders, shins, and face.

The loss of skin color is called hypopigmentation. This condition occurs when melanin, or melanocyte cells in the skin are depleted, or amino acid tyrosine decreases. This causes reduction in the production of melanin. Thus, one begins to observe white patches on skin due to depletion of melanin cells.

Although these spots may not be accompanied by itching or irritation, but they can be quite conspicuous on dark or tanned skin. It is essential to identify the underlying cause of such spots and seek medical help for proper treatment.

White Spots on Arms

Have you been noticing some weird development of white spots on arms? Does it look as if there is no pigmentation on your skin? Wondering what could these small white spots mean? These white spots on skin could mean a number of things. A few point towards some mild skin conditions, while others could mean serious skin disorders. Let us go into the details of some of the causes of white spots.

How to Cure White Spots on Skin

White spots on the skin can be caused by both environmental, as well as genetic factors. Several skin diseases and pigmentation disorders can cause the development of white spots on the skin, which is medically termed as leukoderma. These spots are usually caused by the loss of pigmentation, and they can appear on any part of the body. The pigment melanin, which gives color to the skin is produced by a type of specialized cells, known as melanocytes. White spots appear when melanocytes cannot effectively produce melanin, while hyperpigmentation occurs, when the production of melanin increases.

Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment of Leucoderma

Leucoderma, also termed as vitiligo, is a common skin disorder affecting a percent or more of the world's population. It is a distressing skin disease wherein the sufferer develops white patches on face, hands, legs, and other areas of the body due to gradual loss of the pigment melanin from the skin layers. The condition can be embarrassing, especially in people who have dark skin, as these white patches look extremely ugly.

The condition is more commonly seen in women than men, and the most affected areas are hands, neck, back, and wrist. It can occur in people of any age or sex, and is neither infectious nor contagious. Research show that majority of these cases are seen in people below the age of 40 years, and nearly 30% of them acquire this skin disease through heredity. Hence, contrary to the popular belief, vitiligo does not occur due to any bacterial or viral infestation, or bad blood. The causes, symptoms, and treatment of leucoderma are given in the paragraphs below.

 

Is Leucoderma Hereditary?

Leucoderma or vitiligo is a skin disorder wherein the skin develops white patches or spots. It is basically an outcome of melanin deficiency, a skin pigment that protects the skin from sun and other harmful radiations. Hence, the skin areas which are deficit in melanin over a period of time turn pale or white,

Small White Spots on Skin

The human skin color is due to the presence of melanin, a substance (pigment) manufactured in the outermost layer of the skin. The concentration of melanin determines the color of the skin. The melanin is manufactured by melanocytes, cells located in the basal layer of epidermis. People with dark skin have higher amount of melanin than those with fairer skin. The production of melanin on a regular basis is very important to ensure that the skin does not lose its natural color. Small white spots on skin are an indication of malfunctioning of melanocytes that causes inadequate production of melanin.

White Patches on Face

A patchy, white skin on the face is an obvious sign of a skin problem. This happens mainly because of loss of pigmentation in the skin. Special skin cells called melanocytes produce a dark brown pigment called melanin. This pigment gives a specific skin color to every individual. When the pigmentation process gets disturbed due to some reason, melanin production of the facial skin goes down and white patches appear on face.