The other extremely common white-patch condition is called tinea versicolor. This is a mild, superficial fungal infection, somewhat similar to ringworm (true ringworm can also result in white patches). Since the affected skin doesn’t change color well with sun exposure, it usually becomes apparent as white patches during the summer months. A skin abscess is a large pocket of pus that has formed just beneath the skin. It is caused by bacteria getting under the skin, usually through a small cut or scratch, and beginning to multiply. The body fights the invasion with white blood cells, which kill some of the infected tissue but form pus within the cavity that remains.
![White spots on legs White spots on legs](https://thehealthy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/08-psoriasis-Heres-the-Deal-with-Those-Weird-White-Spots-on-Your-Skin-courtesy-American-Academy-of-Dermatology-1024x683.jpg)
Fair, dark, or any shade in between — most of us have skin that is generally the same color all over our bodies. But this isn't the case for people who have a condition called vitiligo.
![White dry patches on skin White dry patches on skin](http://www.zachospharmacy.gr/7025-thickbox_default/neostrata-problem-dry-skin-cream-moisturize-dry-rough-patches-on-knees-elbows-and-heels.jpg)
What Is Vitiligo?
Vitiligo is a loss of skin pigment that causes white spots or patches to appear on the skin. No one knows exactly why this happens, but it affects people of all races, many of them kids and teens.
Because vitiligo affects a person's appearance, it can be upsetting. But it isn't medically dangerous. It's not a form of skin cancer. It's not an infection like MRSA. And it's definitely not contagious, so you can't catch it from someone else. In fact, most of the people who have vitiligo are every bit as healthy as everyone else.
What Happens?
To explain vitiligo, it helps to know a bit about how skin gets its color in the first place. Skin color is determined by cells called melanocytes. They produce a pigment called melanin, which gives skin its color and helps protect it from the sun.
Skin color is determined not by how many melanocytes someone has (we're all born with a similar amount), but rather by how active the cells are. Dark-skinned people have cells that naturally produce a lot of melanin, while light-skinned people produce much less.
Sometimes, the skin suddenly stops producing melanin. At first, this might cause a small spot, called a macule, that's lighter in color than the skin around it. In time these white patches may spread and grow to cover a larger portion of the body. Sometimes these white patches spread quickly at first and then remain stable for years. Other times the spread is slower, occurring over a longer period of time.
Although vitiligo affects people of all races equally, the spots tend to be more noticeable on darker skin.