White Blotches of Skin

[aplus328]

Hello,

I have recently developed white blotches on my skin. They are located in various places. Some on my lower back area, chin, penis and testicles, and one on the back of my left hand.

I have done research online and have seen my PCP but nothing seems to help make them go away. They are flat, white (some are lighter/darker smaller/bigger than others) not itchy, and do not really bother me at all except for being there. It basically is a loss of pigment in my skin, similar to bleach spots on fabric. I have tried both anti-fungal cream and a steroid cream, prescribed by two different doctors. Both of which did nothing. My current dermatologist looked at it and said it is vitiligo, but she did not do anything but look at it - no testing of any kind. However, vitiligo is very rare, and makes me second guess her diagnosis. I am also 30 years old, male, and caucasian.

I was wondering if you had any ideas what this might be? Or is more likely to be?

Thanks for your help!

[aplus328]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply, it is appreciated. These white patches so seem to be spreading, rather slowly and do not really bother me at the moment. However, I do not want them to get worse. I have a follow-up appointment scheduled with my dermatologist in about a month, and will proceed from there and come back with an update.

Thanks again!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Since you are having scattered patches of this depigmentation on different body parts, I agree with your dermatologist that it can be 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.

Once the diagnosis is confirmed, treatment can be planned. It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist/ urologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.