World Vitiligo Day has been observed on 25th June every year since 2011 to commemorate the death of popular pop star Michael Jackson. The famous pop star was found to be openly discussing his struggles with vitiligo and undertaking multiple initiatives to increase awareness of this chronic skin disorder among people. The purpose of observing World Vitiligo Day every year is to extend the efforts for healthcare support and education for vitiligo and increase awareness of the mental challenges and social stigma challenges experienced by those suffering from vitiligo.
It's World Vitiligo Day. It affects all races, gender and ethnicities .
— 🍎 SB19 SAW ERA | A'tin Applehead (@Aapplleehheeaad) June 25, 2021
Here's a reminder too that Michael Jackson had vitiligo. He did not bleach his skin to become white. Its a condition that cannot be controlled. So stop with the tabloid narrative. pic.twitter.com/OBzlWsMBYA
Vitiligo: Overview
Vitiligo refers to one kind of skin disorder or a chronic autoimmune disorder that leads to the loss of pigment or colour in the patches of skin. Due to this, the skin has been seen to appear lighter than an individual’s natural skin tone or become white. The skin on any part of the human body can be affected by this condition. The inside of the mouth and hair can also be affected by this disorder. The discoloured areas are found to be usually becoming bigger over time, making them clearly visible.
The chemical pigment melanin normally determines the colour of the skin and hair in the human body. Therefore, the skin disorder vitiligo is found to occur when the immune system of the body destroys melanocytes, the skin cells producing melanin. In this situation, melanocytes stop functioning properly, which makes the skin discoloured. People of all genders, ages, skin types and ethnic backgrounds have the potential to suffer from this disease. However, the skin disorder generally occurs among people belonging to the age group of 20 to 30. Moreover, the visibility of the outcomes of vitiligo is high among people with darker skin tones like black or brown skin. Nevertheless, the good thing is that the disease is not contagious or life-threatening. However, the negative aspect of the condition is that it may make one feel embarrassed or stressed.
History of World Vitiligo Day
The non-profit organisations VITSAF of Nigeria and VR Foundation (Vitiligo Research Foundation) of USA, along with their supporters across the world, first organised the World Vitiligo Day in 2011. The primary focus and resolution was to raise awareness among the people about the challenges of this unrecognised disease and its effects on vitiligo-affected people. For celebrating this day, the CEO of The Vitiligo Research Foundation has chosen the date of 25th June to honour the death of Michael Jackson and observe a day dedicated to vitiligo awareness.
The theme of World Vitiligo Day 2025
The 2025 theme for World Vitiligo Day is “Innovation for Every Skin, Powered by AI”. This year, 2025, the theme will focus on harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to enhance access to authentic and helpful vitiligo information among people. The efforts in the 2025 campaign emphasise integrating an existing AI-driven digital assistant tool known as vitiligo.ai that offers educational resources, multilingual support and personalised engagement. Thus, this aims to strengthen connections between the vitiligo community group while focusing on the preservation of their personal autonomy.
Moreover, the 2025 also seeks to expand the media outreach into underserved regions and provinces, particularly in consideration of the lengthy average wait time (often exceeding 8 months) in Canada to visit dermatologists. This year, there is also the objective to strengthen collaborations between individual advocates, national patient support groups and researchers for the alignment of research priorities more effectively with the needs of patients.
One of the most interesting features of the success of World Vitiligo Day is its rolling headquarters model. The purpose of this model is to maximise global engagement with the rotation of the host country each year. This year, Toronto, Canada, will host the event of World Vitiligo Day. Previously, Italy, India, China, Czech Republic, Brazil, USA, Vietnam, Serbia, Indonesia, Mexico, Kazakhstan, and Colombia remained the host country between 2012 and 2024.
Themes and host nations in the previous five years:
| Year | Theme | Host Country |
| 2020 | SELF: Awareness, Love, Respect, Care | Serbia |
| 2021 | Embracing Life with Vitiligo | Indonesia |
| 2022 | Learning to Live With Vitiligo | Mexico |
| 2023 | Vitiligo: Looking into the Future | Kazakhstan |
| 2024 | United by the Skin or Unidos Por La Piel | Colombia |
Risk factors of vitiligo
Vitiligo has been recognised as a rare disease which occurs in around 1 per cent of the world’s total population. Vitiligo is caused by the lack of pigment (melanin) in the skin. The exact reason for the occurrence of this phenomenon is still unknown. However, some factors can increase the risk of an individual being affected by this skin disorder. For example, there is a greater risk of suffering from this disease if one has a family history of the condition. Around 30 per cent of the affected people are found to be having a family history of vitiligo presence. Moreover, severe sun exposure, stress, or exposure to toxic chemicals such as phenol-containing chemicals can also increase the chance of becoming the victim of vitiligo. Furthermore, previously having certain diseases such as Psoriasis, Type 1 diabetes, Addison’s disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, Thyroid disease and Systemic lupus erythematosus also makes the skin disorder more common among individuals.
Symptoms
The primary symptom of vitiligo is the loss of natural colour in the skin of any part of the body. Some of the other signs of the disease include itching in the affected area and premature whitening of the hair on the eyebrows, eyelashes, beard and head. Inflammation in the ear, eye irritation or swelling, and depigmentation of mucous membranes inside the mouth or nose can also appear as a result of vitiligo. Ultimately, the disease leads the affected individuals to hold a poor self-image in society.
Treatment
Despite having various treatment options for vitiligo, there is no cure for this skin disorder. Getting treatment for this skin disease is not essential or mandatory as it is not painful or does not harm the body. However, individuals can take certain treatment options like medications, light therapy, surgery or counselling to enhance their self-esteem.
Regarding the availability of medication, there is no particular medication which can stop vitiligo from affecting the skin. However, certain drugs like corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors and ruxolitinib can slow the speed of pigmentation loss.
In the treatment of light therapy, which is also known as phototherapy and photosynthesis, the healthcare provider utilises ultraviolet B (UVB) lights, light boxes, or medical-grade lasers at the skin for a short period of time to return colour to the skin. However, one may have to undergo several phototherapy sessions to get the best results on their skin.
For the diagnosis of vitiligo, one can also undergo surgical treatment like skin grafts to observe the results. In the skin grafts, the affected skin area is replaced with the skin from another part of the body.
For the improvement of self-esteem or addressing anxiety and depression associated with vitiligo, taking counselling from mental health professionals is also beneficial. Vitiligo can lead to psychological distress among the affected people, which can adversely impact their social interactions. Therefore, counselling can help the victims to get effective guidance to improve their mental health-wellbeing.
