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Skin Blotches
Sent to Health Experts March 08 11:49 AM

I have white blotches on my stomach and back, which appeared about 2 years ago, but have became progressively worse. I go to the tanning bed, and I notice the blotchiness more when I tan frequently. It is not a rash, and it doesn't cause any pain at all, it is just splotches of lighter skin color on my stomach and back. What could this severe blotchiness be?

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $5
Answer
March 8 3:36 PM (3 hours and 47 minutes and 5 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark
Vitiligo.
http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/vitiligo/vitiligo.htm
Reply
March 9 8:36 AM (16 hours and 59 minutes and 37 seconds later)
         
Reply to xarqi's Post: My blotches are only on my stomach and back which get less sun than my arms and legs, which have no blotches. The blotches on my skin are not like bright white and really well-defined, they are just like lighter colored blotchy circles that are more severe in the center of my stomach and back and then like spread out from there. Do you still think that it is vitiligo? It doesn't seem like it would be that to me but I don't knonw if I just possibly have a minor case of it?!?

Edited by Customer (name blocked for privacy) on March 9 2005 at 8:37 AM
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Info Request
March 9 6:41 PM (10 hours and 5 minutes and 2 seconds later)
         
REPLIED to Info RequestCheck Mark
The margins of vitiligo patches are usually quite distinct, so
perhaps it is not this in your case. I wonder though that they
appear more pronounced after tanning sessions, and if perhaps
this is just because there is greater colour contrast between
them and the tanned surrounding skin. If so, that would mean
that the patches were not tanning, in other words, that there is a
problem with melanin production within the patches, which
brings us back to vitiligo!

Another possibility occurs to me, and that is a fungal infection
such as tinea versicolor. While most tinea infections involve
pinkish patches, white or cream colour is also found.

Take a look at these pages and see what you think:
http://www.aad.org/public/Publications/pamphlets/TineaVersicolor.htm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/2479.htm


Edited by xarqi on March 9 2005 at 6:48 PM
Reply
March 10 8:46 AM (14 hours and 5 minutes and 27 seconds later)
         
Thank you for all of your help...I really appreciate the information you have given me! Hopefully I can soon figure out what the problem is!
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Info Request
March 10 4:29 PM (7 hours and 42 minutes and 50 seconds later)
         
That is a good plan. If you wouldn't mind, could you report back
so that if something similar comes up in future I can offer better
advice?
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