Skin Condition · Kensington, London

Home / Loss of Pigment In Skin

Loss of Skin Pigment: Vitiligo, Fungal and Post-Inflammatory Causes

Name: Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic
Price range: $$$

Loss of skin pigment is a patch that has turned paler than the skin around it because melanocytes, the cells that make melanin, have been destroyed or switched off. Vitiligo is the cause most people have heard of. Pigment is also lost after eczema, after a common fungal infection, and occasionally from birth.

This page describes how vitiligo and the other causes of lost skin pigment are told apart and managed at Faciem, and it is checked for clinical accuracy.
Last reviewed: 12 September 2026.
Patient information only. Pale patches have several distinct causes, one of which may call for blood tests instead of creams, and any plan follows a face-to-face consultation with Dr Prasad.

Patients since 2019

0 +

Procedures

0 +

Satisfaction

0 %

On this page:

TL;DR

Loss of skin pigment is a patch that has become paler or white because melanocytes have stopped producing melanin. Vitiligo, an autoimmune condition, is the most recognised cause; pigment is also lost after eczema, psoriasis, burns and tinea versicolor, a common yeast overgrowth. The distinction decides the treatment: vitiligo may spread and is associated with autoimmune thyroid disease, while a fungal cause clears with a short antifungal course. Repigmentation takes around six weeks before any change shows, and how much colour returns varies. Assessment at Faciem is by Dr Prasad, a GMC-registered doctor with 20 years’ experience in dermatology.

About the Condition

What Is Loss of Skin Pigment?

Loss of skin pigment, or hypopigmentation, is skin that has become lighter than the area around it because melanocytes are making less melanin or have been lost altogether. Depigmentation is the complete absence of pigment, leaving chalk-white skin. In both, the pigment cells have been disrupted while the skin surface itself stays normal — flat, level with its surroundings and usually not itchy.

What do pale patches look like?

Pale patches differ from one another in ways that make the diagnosis. Vitiligo produces sharply demarcated, chalk-white patches with a clear border, often symmetrical, and typically around the eyes and mouth and on the hands, elbows, knees and genital skin; hair growing inside a patch may turn white. Pigment lost after inflammation is softer at the edges, sits exactly where the earlier rash, burn or spot was, and usually keeps a little colour. Pityriasis alba shows as faint, slightly scaly pale patches on the cheeks of children, most obvious after sun exposure. Tinea versicolor scatters small oval patches across the chest, back and shoulders, with a fine scale that lifts when the skin is scraped. In each of these the skin surface stays normal: flat, level with the skin around it, and usually not itchy.

Who tends to lose skin pigment?

Vitiligo affects roughly one in a hundred people worldwide, across every ethnicity and both sexes equally, and around half of those affected notice it before the age of twenty. It runs in families in a proportion of cases and keeps company with other autoimmune conditions, particularly autoimmune thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes and pernicious anaemia. Pigment lost after inflammation is far more common than vitiligo and can follow any rash that has settled, including an eczema flare; it shows up more clearly in deeper skin tones because the contrast is greater. Pityriasis alba is mostly a childhood finding, often in children with a history of eczema. Tinea versicolor tends to affect young adults and becomes more noticeable in warm, humid weather or after a holiday in the sun.

What is loss of pigment mistaken for?

Vitiligo is regularly mistaken for a fungal infection, and pale patches are just as regularly assumed to be vitiligo when they are not. Tinea versicolor comes from a yeast that lives on normal skin, scales lightly and clears with antifungal treatment, which does nothing for vitiligo. Pigment lost after inflammation follows something that happened to the skin and usually recovers over months as melanocytes repopulate the area. Pityriasis alba behaves similarly in children and settles with moisturiser and time. Idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis scatters small white spots on sun-exposed forearms and shins with age and needs no treatment. Telling these apart changes everything that follows, because vitiligo may progress and warrants blood tests while the others do not, and because hyperpigmentation in the surrounding skin can make normal skin look pale by contrast.

Causes & Contributing Factors

What Causes Loss of Skin Pigment?

Loss of skin pigment is caused by melanocytes being destroyed, damaged or switched off. In vitiligo the immune system attacks them directly. Far more often, inflammation, infection or injury disturbs the cells for a time and colour returns slowly once the skin settles. A few causes are present from birth.

Vitiligo

Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system destroys melanocytes, producing sharply outlined white patches that may spread over time. It is associated with autoimmune thyroid disease often enough that blood tests usually form part of the assessment.

Inflammation of the skin

Eczema, psoriasis and almost any rash that has settled can leave paler skin behind, because inflammation temporarily suppresses pigment production. This post-inflammatory hypopigmentation follows the outline of the original rash and is usually reversible once the skin calms.

Fungal infection

Tinea versicolor, also called pityriasis versicolor, is a common yeast overgrowth that interferes with melanin production and leaves pale, finely scaling oval patches on the trunk. It clears with antifungal treatment; pigment creams do nothing for it.

Burns, injury and treatment

Burns, scarring, cryotherapy, strong peels and laser can all damage melanocytes and leave a lighter mark behind. Skin tone is graded on the Fitzpatrick scale, I to VI, before any peel or laser setting is chosen: deeper tones (Fitzpatrick IV to VI) carry more melanin, so the same energy is more likely to disturb pigment either way, and the strength, the interval between sessions and a small test area are adjusted accordingly.

Present from birth

Some pale patches are congenital, including naevus depigmentosus and the ash-leaf macules associated with tuberous sclerosis, and are visible from birth or early infancy. Albinism affects pigment production throughout the skin, hair and eyes.

Treatments We Offer

How Loss of Skin Pigment Is Treated at Faciem

Assessment and treatment for loss of skin pigment is available at Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic on Kensington Church St, London, led by Dr Prasad. Treatment begins by naming the cause, then settling it and giving melanocytes the conditions to repopulate the patch. Vitiligo, pigment lost after inflammation and a fungal cause each need a different plan. Repigmentation typically takes around six weeks to become visible, and how much colour comes back differs from person to person and from one body site to another.

Dermatology Consultation

A medical history and examination establish whether a pale patch is vitiligo, a fungal infection or pigment lost after inflammation, with Wood’s light used where it sharpens the border. Where vitiligo is suspected, thyroid and autoimmune blood tests are arranged from the same appointment.

Best for: any pale patch without a clear explanation

Read about Dermatology Consultation

Medical-Grade Skincare

Prescription topical treatment settles the inflammation that suppresses pigment and, in some cases, encourages melanocytes back into a patch. Daily broad-spectrum sun protection does equal work, because skin around a patch tans and widens the contrast.

Best for: pigment lost after inflammation, and daily protection

Read about Medical-Grade Skincare

Acne Treatment

Pale marks left where spots have healed are a form of post-inflammatory pigment loss, and fresh ones keep appearing while the acne is active. Bringing the acne itself under control does more for those marks than anything applied to them.

Best for: pale marks appearing after acne has healed

Read about Acne Treatment

Microneedling is also used at Faciem for single patches alongside prescription skincare, with the aim of blending the colour of the patch into the skin around it, and skin camouflage can be arranged where a patch has not repigmented. Injections into patches and surgical removal of patches are not offered here. Keeping the underlying cause controlled is what holds a result, so some maintenance treatment is usually needed, and what suits you is agreed face to face with Dr Prasad.

When to Seek Medical Advice

When Should You See a Doctor About White Patches?

See a doctor about pale patches early instead of waiting for them to fade, because the causes differ and several of them are treatable straight away. Come sooner if patches are spreading, if nothing preceded them, or if they involve the face and hands.

Worth getting checked

Conditions that can look similar

Self-Care & Prevention

Living With Pale Patches Between Appointments

Sun protection is the most useful thing you can do about pale patches, for two reasons: skin without pigment has no natural defence and burns readily, and tanning the skin around a patch widens the difference. Handling the surrounding skin gently matters too.

Do

Use broad-spectrum SPF 50 every day of the year on affected skin, which has no natural protection
Reapply that sunscreen every two hours outdoors, so the skin around a patch does not tan and widen the contrast
Treat an eczema flare or any new rash within a few days of it starting, since inflammation is what suppresses pigment
Give any treatment at least six weeks before judging it, the time repigmentation needs to show at all

Avoid

Sunbeds, and strong midday sun between 11am and 3pm, which deepen the surrounding colour
Antifungal creams carried on past the two to four weeks a fungal cause needs, or used on patches that are not fungal
Scrubs, bleaching products and home peels on affected skin, certainly during the six weeks a treatment needs to work
Waiting more than a month to have a spreading white patch assessed, or assuming it will settle on its own

This is general guidance, not individual assessment: what suits your skin depends on which kind of pigment loss you have and on your skin tone.

Why Patients Choose Faciem

Why Faciem Names the Cause Before Treating a Patch

Pale patches are treated wrongly more often than most skin complaints, usually because vitiligo and a fungal cause look similar at a glance and share no treatment at all. At Faciem the examination decides everything that follows it.

Experience & Expertise

What Dr Prasad Looks For in a Pale Patch

Pale patches are easy to dismiss and easy to get wrong. Vitiligo is not simply cosmetic: it can progress, it sits alongside autoimmune thyroid disease often enough that thyroid function is checked, and its effect on confidence is well documented and easily underestimated. A fungal cause clears with a short antifungal course. Pigment lost after inflammation recovers once the underlying rash is controlled. Each of those is a different conversation. Dr Prasad examines the pattern, border and distribution of the patches, uses Wood’s light where it clarifies things, arranges blood tests where vitiligo is suspected, and is candid about how slowly pigment returns and what camouflage can achieve meanwhile.

Dr Anamica Prasad — MBChB (1999), Dip Dermatology (2001), MRCGP, DFFP, DRCOG · a GMC-registered doctor
Member of the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP), British Medical Laser Association (BMLA), Royal Society of Medicine and the Aesthetic Complications Group
Clinic operated by Derma Medical UK Ltd, registered with the Care Quality Commission for diagnostic and screening procedures, surgical procedures, and treatment of disease, disorder or injury · CQC Location ID 1-25573003746
Face-to-face medical consultation, examination and Wood’s light assessment where a patch needs clarifying
20 years’ experience in dermatology, including disorders of pigment across every skin tone

Patient Reviews

Rated Excellent by Patients on Google

Loss of Skin Pigment FAQs

Your Questions, Answered

Vitiligo, fungal patches and pigment lost after a rash each raise their own questions; these are the ones that come up most in clinic. Anything not covered here can be put to Dr Prasad at your consultation.

What causes white patches on the skin?

White patches are caused by melanocytes being destroyed, suppressed or absent. Vitiligo destroys them through an autoimmune process. Inflammation from eczema, psoriasis or a healed spot suppresses them for a time. Tinea versicolor, a yeast overgrowth, interferes with melanin production. Burns, scarring and some skin treatments damage the cells directly, and a few causes are present from birth.

Do white patches on the skin go away on their own?

Pigment lost after inflammation usually recovers over several months once the underlying rash has settled, as melanocytes migrate back into the area. A fungal cause clears with antifungal treatment, although the pale patches fade more slowly than the infection does. Vitiligo seldom repigments by itself and may spread, so a widening white patch needs examining.

How do you get rid of white patches on the skin?

Getting rid of white patches depends entirely on the cause, which is why identifying it comes first. Fungal patches need antifungal treatment. Pigment lost after inflammation needs the original rash controlled and then time. Vitiligo may respond to prescription topical treatment or phototherapy, with repigmentation slow, often partial, and variable between people and body sites.

Is vitiligo permanent?

Vitiligo behaves differently in different people. Some patches repigment with treatment, particularly on the face and where hairs inside the patch still hold colour, while patches on the hands and feet respond least well. Vitiligo may stay stable for years or spread in episodes, and treatment aims to control it, not to remove it.

Can I wear make-up or camouflage over white patches?

Make-up and skin camouflage can both be worn over white patches, and camouflage is made for exactly this. Medical camouflage creams are matched to your own colour and, set with powder, hold through washing and swimming — usually 12 to 18 hours on the face and two to three days on the body. Ordinary foundation covers small facial patches well enough. Either goes on over sunscreen, not instead of it, so SPF 50 comes first.

Can I sunbathe or go on holiday with pale patches?

You can travel, but a patch with no melanin has no natural defence and can burn within minutes of strong sun. Stay out of direct sun between 11am and 3pm, use broad-spectrum SPF 50 and reapply it every two hours, and cover exposed patches with clothing or a hat. There is a second reason to be careful: a fortnight of sun tans the skin around a patch, and that widened contrast can take months to even out.

What decides the cost of treating pale patches?

Cost follows the cause and the length of treatment. A fungal cause needs one short antifungal course, while vitiligo and post-inflammatory pigment loss are managed over months; blood tests add to the assessment where vitiligo is suspected. Everything starts with a private dermatology appointment, whose fee is published on that page, and any further cost is confirmed before treatment goes ahead.

Sources & Further Reading

Vitiligo — NHS
Vitiligo patient information leaflet — British Association of Dermatologists
Pityriasis versicolor — DermNet NZ

These are general sources of patient information and do not replace individual medical assessment. Your own diagnosis and treatment plan are established at consultation.

Loss of Skin Pigment in Kensington, London

A Doctor-Led Clinic in the Heart of Kensington

The clinic sits on Kensington Church St, a few minutes’ walk from High Street Kensington station and about ten from Notting Hill Gate, with the Kensington council underground car park close by. Pale patches are examined in person, because the border, the distribution and what Wood’s light shows tell you more than a photograph can, and any blood tests are arranged at the same visit. Appointments run Monday to Saturday, 10am–7pm, which keeps an assessment within reach of a working day for people coming in from Notting Hill, Chelsea, Holland Park and the rest of West London.

Plan Your Visit

Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic
Phone: +44 20 7131 3539
7 Kensington Church St, London W8 4LF, United Kingdom
Tube: High Street Kensington (few minutes’ walk) · Notting Hill Gate (~10 minutes)
Parking: Kensington council underground car park nearby
Open Monday–Saturday, 10am–7pm · Sunday closed
Consultations bookable online; thyroid and autoimmune bloods arranged where vitiligo is suspected
Consultation-first — no treatment without medical assessment
Serving Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill & Central London

Continue Exploring

Related Conditions & Treatments

Hyperpigmentation

The mirror image: patches darker than the skin around them, why the types are not interchangeable, and what shifts them.

Eczema & Dry Skin

The commonest reason pigment is lost for a while, and why calming the rash has to come before anything else.

Mole Checks

When a mole, or the pale halo that can appear around one, needs a dermoscopic look instead of watchful waiting.

Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic · Kensington

Get a Diagnosis Before You Treat a White Patch

Book a consultation with Dr Prasad to establish whether a patch is vitiligo, a fungal infection or pigment lost after inflammation, and what can realistically be done about it. Appointments can be booked online or by calling +44 20 7131 3539.

Prefer to talk? +44 20 7131 3539

Monday – Saturday	10am – 7pm
Sunday	Closed