Michael Jackson’s vitiligo; a thread

In 1986, Michael was diagnosed with a skin condition called Vitiligo which causes depigmentation of the skin. It occurs when the cells responsible for skin pigmentation, die or are unable to function. It has been confirmed on his autopsy report that he suffered with Vitiligo.

During a live interview with Oprah in 1993, Michael publicly addressed that he suffered with Vitiligo and how he had to use high pigment makeup to even out the blotches on his skin.

Here you can see the dark makeup stains on Michael’s glove and shirt during the Victory Tour. His sweat washed the makeup away which is a hard thing to do since Dermablend is waterproof. He must’ve sweat a lot in order for the makeup to transfer onto his clothes.

As the Vitiligo began to overtake his body, Michael would often call his dermatologist’s nurse and future wife Debbie Rowe for medical advice.

He first began wearing gloves to help hide his skin condition which originally started to develop on his hand. The glove became very iconic, as most people were already accepting of Michael’s eccentric style. However, it didn’t start out as a choice.

Michael had the skin pigmentation disorder, with white patches particularly on his chest, abdomen, face, arms and legs. As his condition worsened, Michael started to wear clothing with long sleeves and long pants to cover the areas affected.

During an interview with VH1 in 1996, Michael talks about how the sun rays can permanently damage his skin due to Vitiligo. He also talks about the reason for wearing his signature silk masks when he’s outside.

He carried his black umbrella most of the time whenever he was outside, especially when the sun comes up. Michael was extremely sensitive to the sunlight and he could burn easlily since he had no protection from the sun’s UV rays.