What are white blotches on the skin known as?

Not medical advice: Vitiligo is a skin condition characterized by the development of white patches on the skin. Patches appear when skin loses pigment due to the destruction of pigment-forming cells called melanocytes. It is believed that the immune system may destroy cells.

An estimated 2 to 5 million Americans have vitiligo. It usually surfaces between the ages of 10 and 30 years, but 95% of people affected experience onset before age 40.

Celebrities who have battled the disorder include Joe Rogan, Rasheed Wallace, Doc Hammer, Thomas Lennon, Michael Jackson, Sisqo, J.D. Runnels, Lee Thomas, and Holly Marie Combs.

According to a study published in the May issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology there is a new treatment that restores pigment for vitiligo patients called the melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation procedure (MKTP).