Last Updated on 3rd April 2025 by Caroline Haye
A lesser known fact about depigmentation
I came across this fascinating article by James J Nordlund today. It was 3 years old at the time of publishing this post). But the information is certainly not out of date. I find that a lot of vitiligo information available online is repetitive and too superficial to be really helpful. So it’s always refreshing to read some lesser known facts and findings. In particular, the notion that contact allergens may cause your vitiligo to spread is a concept that is obviously highly relevant to anyone with vitiligo. So it is well worth looking into.
Evidently, anyone with vitiligo is likely to be much more sensitive to contact with certain chemicals than the general population. For example, phenolic chemicals (common ingredients in detergents and personal care products) can cause melanocytes to die and therefore turn the skin white.
Common vitiligo sites may correlate with contact allergen exposure
With this in mind, I wonder if certain common vitiligo sites on the body might not be as random as they seem. It could be that they occur in those particular places because of regular contact with products containing phenols. For instance, armpits are a common site for vitiligo to develop. So it might be that the chemical content of deodorants is a reason for this. Similarly, a reason why wrists are so often a site for white patches could be because this is where people typically apply perfume. One explanation for vitiligo on hands being so typical might be because they more frequently come into contact with soap throughout the day than the rest of the body. And moisturisers and makeup products could be to blame more often than most of us realise for triggering facial vitiligo.
Minimising the risk of contact allergens triggering vitiligo
Of course, trying to decipher ingredients listing on products to see if they contain phenols (or any other chemical nasties) is a nightmare. So I am now more convinced than ever that the safest way to go is 100% natural and organic wherever possible. This article contains more information about phenols, and thelesstoxicguide.ca has some useful details on other potentially harmful ingredients in everyday products.
Finally, for any vitiligo sufferers who are using the same nutritional treatment as me to re-pigment, 100% natural and organic makeup is becoming more widely available in the high street. One word of warning though – don’t be fooled by brands that call themselves organic simply on the basis of having one or two organic ingredients in them. These might also contain phenols, parabens and any number of other chemicals too. So look for 100% natural and organic.
