With the sudden passing of Michael Jackson, the debate about the changes in his appearance over the years has escalated. Everyone has weighed in on how many surgeries he’s had and the changes in his skin color have been comedic fodder for years. Plastic surgery is one thing, but what do we really know about vitiligo, the skin condition that had haunted him for years?
Imagine getting ready for the day and trying to avoid the bathroom mirror.
While many people feel that their face isn’t what they'd consider perfect, they are basically happy with it. Being conscious of our appearance though, billions of dollars are spent on cosmetics each year to enhance the way we look. Unfortunately, we sometimes judge others by their appearance and in addition, misinformation and concerns about catching a disease can determine how comfortable we are about being in close contact.
Vitiligo is a non-contagious condition where the melanocytes do not function correctly and patches of light colored skin appear on various areas of the body. Research has shown it to sometimes be linked to an autoimmune disorder and that it may be inherited. Although not considered life threatening, it can, of course, be very troubling for the person who has it.
Vitiligo seems to be somewhat more common in people with certain autoimmune diseases. These autoimmune diseases include hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland), adrenocortical insufficiency (the adrenal gland does not produce enough of the hormone called corticosteroid), alopecia areata (patches of baldness), and pernicious anemia (a low level of red blood cells caused by the failure of the body to absorb vitamin B12). Scientists do not know the reason for the association between vitiligo and these autoimmune diseases. However, most people with vitiligo have no other autoimmune disease.
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For a person with vitiligo, minimizing the color changes can be difficult – especially when the individual naturally has dark skin. The discolorations can make a person feel self-conscious which can then lead to hiding from stares and hurtful comments. Sometimes cosmetics can help, but if it spreads to other parts of the body or becomes larger, just covering it up can be a major challenge. Some treatments vitiligo sufferers have undergone include skin grafts and bleaching in an effort to even out the tone.
In the video you’ll see not only Michael’s vitiligo, but that of other people’s as well (caution: some of the images may be disturbing).
Comments
Vitiligo spreads incrementally, not everywhere spontaneously. There is no known cure. However, there are medical treatments that can remove the melanin from an affected person's skin rendering the person an albino. Were Michael's skin splotches the result of vitiligo or melanin removal treatments?
I would think with the money he had, he'd probably have opted for the melanin removal - which might be why his brother was down on him for lightening his skin.
I never bought the vitiligo story told by Michael Jackson. It was just an excuse fed to the public and his fans to cease the inquiries about his purposely bleached skin! Vitiligo does not turn your complete body white all at once. As a veteran of skin conidtions, myself (eczema, and alergic reactions), I do believe MJ suffered from severe acne, eczema, and even psoriasis.
it did not cover his entire body in this white color it made patches of this white pigment. at this point mj opted to just change the entirety of his bbody to this color
The more I read about Michael's life, the more I can see how courageous he was, and how determined not to let his conditions stop him. His smile and his love for people was infectuous. He was a creative genius. More than just creating great videos and dance steps, he created and recreated himself many times--just as there is no one who looks like Elizabeth Taylor , so there is no one who looks like him--all you have to see is one eye and one eyebrow, with a strand of hair, and you know who it is. Now that's genius! I have a feeling we'll be seeing and hearing more from his kids in a few years--especially Blanket! Michael's love for the world and its children shines bright in his photos, and in the faces of his kids. I'm glad we had him with us for a while. The more I see of his videos and his life philosophy, the more impressed I am. Everything else is SPAM!
Hi there.
Vitiligo it a very serious skin disease. If you don’t have any information about this disease, please do not come here to say all this kind bad stuff. Take information about it.
AMERICA and Jewish people kill Michael Jackson. Shame on you all. Now you(all this people from this country) love him? For what you love him? Maybe because he is death? Of course you love him for his money. Why nobody came out and says nothing like this good stuff, when Michael needed? Why nobody from America love him before he die?
America a big ball s..t, liars, false face, nothing real only s..t.
How quick we r to judge? I feel we all gave him a hard time whilst he was alive because we were so uninformed about this condition.I personally feel ashamed and extremely sad of the pain and suffering he'd have experienced.This certainly explains about his usage of the drugs.I suppose we all doubted him not having that condition because of the plastic surgeries he'd had.I'm not going to sympathise or apologise for the way he lived because its quite evident in his "cheeky" bright smile that he had experienced happiness in some form or other.
Hello everybody,
i'm french and don't speak well english but i think that i can interest you.
I have a vitiligo it's a very hard deasease of skin. It's very difficult to live with all the day another identity.. I thinh that you can't understand and if Michael.J have a vitiligo ( what i think)
i have a lot of love for him because the médias and the humain condition terrifie me They say all what they want whitout know how it's difficult to accept the vitiligo.... Without psycholigie to. One of traitement is the dépigmentation. Perhaps MJ use some of this cream but i 'm so sad because (in french...( its un acharnement mediatique scandaleux. Peut être que cette homme été un peu perturbé il n'empêche qu'une telle maladie est particulièrement lourde d'autant plus quand on est de peau noire.So please please if you don't know that, say nothing.. You don't have the right to speak about someting you didn't know.
Please
it's so hard.
Canjac Canjar , You say anything!
Naturally that the vitligo returns the white skin on out the body sometimes.. It is my case. On the other hand nobody blachie the skin so cremate not. Before speaking, think(reflect)!
Nicola : money doesn't be requierd!!! no traitement for vitiligo!!! so sad!!! that's the difficult of this skin disease.
Sometime we can thinks that psychologie's power is strong.
ttweener@gmail.com : thanks a lot for your message, it's the true!!!
People say that MIchael jackson bleached his skin but he dident he has this disease so thats all bye.=}
Re Diana Ross: Comments to my articles are always welcome and very appreciated. If this comment was posted by the authentic celebrity Diana Ross, I thank you for your contribution and appreciate your candor. In an effort to ensure that this forum is not used by individuals who, using the anonymity of the internet, present false identity of public figures, kindly submit substantial proof which identifies you as the authentic Diana Ross of public fame. Otherwise, I shall have to remove the comment. Please deliver to Examiner.com, 555 17th Street, Suite 400,Denver, CO 80202, Attention: Launa Virgo by July 19, 2009. Thank you for your understanding.
To Laura Virgo - how can you keep that comment on your sight that is obviously NOT Diana Ross. She would never write anything like that nor would she be wasting her time to do so, PLEASE REMOVE IT IMMEDIATELY!!! It's a disgrace to keep it on your sight!! The person that did write it is in need of some serious psychotherapy!! To Canjac Canjar do some research on the subject - Michael Jackson had Vitiligo which is a biproduct of his Lupus autoimmune disease.. To all - If you don't know what you are talking about then you should be quiet and listen and learn.. then you can speak intelligently.. So maybe, just maybe, one day you might become as intelligent, talented and the great humanitarian that Michael Jackson is!
To Moonchild: Thanks for your message. The "Diana Ross" comment has been removed. This is a public forum where anyone may voice their opinion and I hope my readers will not think that they all have to agree with each other here. The writer has had enough time to reply. My first instinct was to delete that comment immediately. I did not believe that "Diana Ross" was who they said they were and although I also found the post offensive, my reason for leaving it up for a short while was to enact "innocent until proven guilty", which is the essence of the American judicial system. Hopefully all future comments to this and my other articles will be courteous,helpful,and spark lively debate.
It is my intent to provide timely and helpful information that may also introduce a new perspective. Feel free to share this article and read my others; then post your comments - its great to hear from my readers.
Launa, I commend you for posting this! Applaud you! NO ONE understands the psychological effects of Vitiligo. Michael opted to be one color… if you all would go to ww.avrf.org and just look at some of the stories you will see CHILDREN that went from being dark to Michael’s color – by natural progression. My child is one of them. Within 15 months, one white spot became 80% of her body and we were praying that the other 20% would leave!
The white glove was a cover up that became a fashion statement. While Vitiligo does not hurt you physically the mental/emotional affects can be devastating. My child is 14 and has had a very ROUGH and TOUGH life…we have changed schools FIVE times….. Ignorance can cost someone their self worth!
Thanks again Launa!
Im too young to have grown up with michael jackson but I like everyone else have seen the bad press over the last few years, I wish his condition had been explained properly when he was here then maybe people would have accepted him for who he was instead of making his life hell. No one considered what this disease did to michael emotionally one can only imagine what its like being born african american then your whole identity changing without you having any control over it. REP MJ
Launa - thank you for removing the comment.. Your site is a great place for open discussions. Also, please accept my apology for misspelling your name!
I have had vitiligo for many years. It started as a pin-sized spot on my face and spread. By the time it covered 1/4 of my forehead I found out what it is. There is no cure for it, and if you don't have it, you will never understand how it can affect a person. If Michael had not lightened his skin people would have talked about how odd he looked because of the diease. Michael had to do what he felt was best for himself. One treatment that I tried for vitiligo made me so sick I had to stop the treatment. So sad for Michael to have to endure so much from a world who claimed to love him.
This response is to Canjac Canjar ... Mj did have this condition... Let me ask you this...Would you have darken your skin in "everytime" you found another light spot??? Do you know how hard that would have been?? It was "easier" for him to lighten to match the light spots than to darken his skin... would you have been more understanding if he had different colors of a darker tone?? I have relatives with this condition and say that they wish they had the money to do what Mj did... because they are sick of the stares...my girl cousin hates it... she did concealer when it was just her face as Mj did..but now it is everywhere.. and she has such a lower self esteem... ... just a lil food 4 thought
Canjac/Cancar or whatever...you suck. My aunt turned completely white in 9 months. You know nothing about what she went through and how she was even fired because her boss thought she was infectious. You obviously didn't see the 2002 pics of MJ with a doctor confirming that he has this disease. I know what it looks like and his legs looked awful with the barely noticable brown spots. Everything around and below was white/pink as if he had been burned. As a performer, i don't blame him for making the decision to even himself out rather than keep sweating on stage and having your closed ruined each night. God bless you MJ.
his doctor on larry king mentioned MJ's vitiligo but as the media likes sensational news, it was never thoroughly explored. thanks for this post, i do believe he had vitiligo, even his make-up artist discuss it on a youtube clip. as for canjac canjar, you are a veteran of sking disease but are you a veteran of vitiligo?
wow
sigh...when will people just leae mj alone? first people elevate him to a god status then force him to live in a glass box...then people and the media trash him cuz that makes them more money...and now people r exploiting his death. i really dont care if he had the disease or not. that was his business, and i think all you haters should shuttup cuz no one knows the truth, and maybe no one ever will.
maybe someday you can RIP
i love you mj
So I've heard a lot of things & rumors that don't even make sense about Michael. ppl talking bout how he bleached his skin because he wanted 2 be white & all this other bulls***...how the hell do you bleach your skin??? please explain this 2 me!!! He had a skin disease & he couldn't control that! So why do ppl keep hating on him, your not perfect yourself. Honestly if I had that vitiligo I don't know how long it would take me 2 adjust to that! He wasn't ashamed to come out like he really is and say, I have a disease and I can't do anything about it! The media is a real b***h having to judge every single person that walks by! Talking about how he was "teasing about his new skin color" OMG HE HAD NO CONTROL OVER IT!!! I feel bad for anybody with vitiligo or any disease because people can always tell you that they know how you feel, but they'll never know how it ACTUALLY feels. Michael I still love you no matter what anybody says cuz just seeing your smile can make everything better R.I.P
Michael Jackson had vitiligo. I know, he's my cousin. It was inherited. Someone else in the family had it. It is an autoimmune system disease and keeping the body covered to protect from the sun rays is important to protect against skin cancer. People with vitiligo do no produce melanin so they don't have a sunscreen. There are other autoimmune systems diseases in the family (overactive thyroid (Graves Disease), pernicious anemia, Multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA). I don't mind informing the public. I am not embarrassed. We all have genetic afflictions. I know who I am, and Michael did too.
i believed it from day 1. i knew michael had vitiligo. it is just something that you can recognize and sympathize with if you suffer from it as well. i too suffer from vitiligo and it has been emotionally devastating to me and it severely lowers self esteem. whether you want to admit it or not, we live in a vain society where if you don't conform to the right "image," then you are scorned, ridiculed and made to feel worthless.
yoo peeple dunt no howe tu spel anetheng. ficks yor gramer tuu. just sum fud fur thot. :O
I wish people would have left the poor guy alone when he was alive. It wasn't his fault he had the disease but people always gave him crap about it. Bleaching! Can you imagine! It's impossible to fully bleach your skin. People are so ignorant. And the sad thing is that many people still believed he bleached. Complete idiocy.
I know how he felt I to was diagnose with vitiligo just about a month ago and it is very embrassing to me.I hate to go out feels like peoples r looking and saying things,but i have to go and keep my head up for my family but its really hard
I wish all of you haters out there would just Leave Michael Jackson alone!! It is not his fault he had vitiligo. I have some friends that have it and yes it does lower self-esteem. So please if you can't say a f***ing nice thing not just about MJ but about anyone then shut your f***ing mouth! Actually Physiological pain like that can make a person to commit suicide I know because my best friend killed himself because of that bulls***. So please if you can't speak the truth then don't f***ing say anything!!!!
I am appalled by your description and attitude towards vitiligo. I suffer from vitiligo myself. You choose to show the most disturbing and extreme cases of vitiligo. You wonder why people are ashamed of themselves and their bodies with vitiligo. You don't help the situation by showing and talking about us as if we are circus freaks. I am female college student with vitiligo and I lead a normal life. I am confident and many people find me attractive. We are not freaks that need to be on display ( or have a warning about disturbing images). It is people like you that make others with vitiligo feel even worse about themselves. You should be ashamed.
Why doesnt the media show and do exclusives on stuff like this when they are talking about Micheal? NOBODY and I mean NOBODY can bleach their skin that white. I always believed he had the disease, even before he announced it. You can't bleach your entire body pale white.
There is a process called depigmentation that some people with vitiligo go through to even skin tone. There are other treatment options but there is not cure for vitiligo. Check out the National Vitiligo Foundation's website or Mayo Clinic.
Wow! People are more gullible than I thought! Don't believe the speculation that the media puts out there! Michael had vitiligo! The coroner even confirmed this in the autopsy, there's pictures of Michael back in the late 70's - early 80's which you can clearly see the white patches on his neck and face! (Just google it!) The media is garbage, don't buy into it! They WANT you to think Michael wanted to become white! The tabloids are a business and they want you to spend your money reading their bogus stories! Knowledge is so important! Seek out the truth for yourself!
no one felt how he felt when he went thruogh this so i suggest you leave him alon
My gdaughter has vitaligo. she was treated so poorly in high school. I was so angry. I am so proud of her, she is a beautiful girl and says that this is who she is. to bad if you dont like it because she cant change it. Please consider treating people with vitaligo like they are somebody because they are. Dont be rude bullies.
POOR POOR MJJ HE REALLY SUFFERED IN THIS WORLD AND GAVE THE WORLD SO MUCH JOY. MAY HE REST IN PEACE NOW.
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