The main symptom is skin that turns white or loses its color. But which areas of skin are affected depends on the type of vitiligo a person has. There are a few different types of vitiligo. The most common type is called “generalized vitiligo” or “vitiligo vulgaris.” But there are others, including “acrofacial vitiligo” and “segmental vitiligo.”

Generalized vitiligo usually affects both the left and right sides of the body the same way (symmetrically). It tends to affect:

• – Fingers, toes, ears, legs, or other body parts that are far from the center of the body
• – Skin surrounding openings in the body, such as the mouth, eyes, and nose
• – Stretchy parts of skin, such as the skin covering the elbows, knees, or finger joints
• – Parts of skin that are injured or get rubbed a lot, such as the skin under shoulder straps, waistbands, and collar areas

Acrofacial vitiligo affects only the:

• – Fingers, toes, ears, or other body parts that are far from the center of the body
• – Skin surrounding openings in the body such as the mouth, eyes, and nose

Segmental vitiligo might affect only the left or the right side of the body in splotches