Do I Have Vertiligo?

[Alicia19]

I have lighter skin on some of my fingers just below the nail but I've had them for years. I also have a white spot about the size of a dime in one of my armpits which I noticed a couple years ago but may have had longer. I just recently noticed two white spots both about the size of a dime around my anus but I may of also had them longer. I am freaking out and scared I may have vitiligo. I have no known family history of vitiligo and am scared to see a doctor because of the location of my white spots. Am I in the early stages of Vitiligo. Or is there something else that could be causing this and are there any products I could use to recolor my skin that I could get at the pharmacy without seeing a dermatologist or home remedies.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Two possibilities are there for such depigementation.Firstly,it can be due to tinea versicolor. Tinea versicolor is caused by a fungus that lives in the skin of almost all adults. Factors that can cause the fungus to become more visible include high humidity and immune or hormone abnormalities.Treatment involves topical and oral antifungal medicines.

Second possibility is of vitiligo. It is a pigmentation disorder in which melanocytes (the cells that make pigment) in the skin are destroyed. As a result, white patches appear on the skin in different parts of the body. Diagnosis can be confirmed by external examination, blood tests to check skin cell count  for melanocytes and biopsy of the skin patches.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or in case you have any additional doubts.Kind regards.

[jagesh50]

Your history does suggest a pigmentary disorder and why not get an opinion instead of worrying it over?