Vitiligo – A Complex Autoimmune Skin Depigmenting Disease

Vitiligo is an acquired, non-contagious disease in which progressive, patchy loss of pigmen‐ tation from the skin, overlying hair and oral mucosa results from the loss of melanocytes from the involved areas [1]. Clinically, two large subsets of vitiligo are distinguished namely focal or segmental vitiligo and non-segmental or generalised vitiligo [2]. Focal vitiligo presents with a limited number of small lesions while segmental vitiligo is typified by an asymmetric distribution involving segments of the skin surface, sometimes in a dermatomal fashion, by depigmented macules. Non-segmental vitiligo corresponds to all generalised, usually sym‐ metrical, forms including acrofacial vitiligo. The course of the disease is unpredictable but is often episodically progressive with phases of stabilised depigmentation. Extending vitiligo with enlarging macules or the development of new lesions is classified as the active form of the disease [3].