White patches on skin

In mid-September, I got a very dark tan on my face and arms. In the months after, I have been seeing white patches all on my face. It started with one small, dry, flaky patch, which I thought was just dry skin, so I put some creme on it. It did become soft again, but it's still very pale. The patches eventually started popping up all on my face and now slightly on my arms. I thought it might be my tan fading, but the problem is the patches are much lighter than what I normally am. Could this be a serious condition?

[yoyo1210]

I think that I'm having the same problem that you are. I have a spot on the top of my thigh and one on my abdomen. I have no idea what it is and haven't been able to find much like it on the web. I also am quite tan and didn't notice these patches until about a week or so ago. Do yours itch at all? Mine do if I scratch them, rub it against something, etc. Nothing else seems to be out of the ordinary, no fever or anything. I'm not a big fan of doctors and wanted to see what else was out there. Thanks!