People With Vitiligo At Reduced Risk of Skin Cancer

According to results of a new study, people with a type of skin condition known as vitiligo maybe at reduced risk of skin cancer.

Photo: People With Vitiligo At Reduced Risk of Skin Cancer

Vitiligo is a disease characterized by skin that has lost all colour, leaving pale skin patches which lack any form of pigment.

People living with the condition appear to be at reduced risk of skin cancer, due to a common gene mutation, dBTechno reports.

Vitiligo is a pigmentation disorder that causes white splotches to appear on the skin; the late pop star Michael Jackson suffered from the condition. The finding could lead to treatments for this confounding condition, the University of Colorado researchers said.

"If you can understand the pathway that leads to the destruction of the skin cell, then you can block that pathway," reasoned Dr. Doris Day, a dermatologist with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, according to HealthDay News.