Michael Jackson’s Skin Color Transformation caused by Vitiligo

by wildcherry on Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 | Health, Life

I’m sure all of us have wonder why would Michael Jackson want to change who he was as an african american to be a white person. Well it turns out he didn’t choose to change…Vitiligo changes him.

MJ drastic change in the past two decades

Jackson told Oprah Winfrey in a 1993 interview, “I’m a black American. I am proud to be a black American. I am proud of my race, and I am proud of who I am. I have a lot of pride and dignity of who I am.

“I have a skin disorder that destroys the pigmentation of the skin. It’s something I cannot help. When people make up stories that I don’t like who I am, it hurts me,” Jackson told Winfrey.

Jackson’s claims that he had vitiligo elicited both empathy and skepticism.

Those familiar with the skin condition said vitiligo is commonly misunderstood because of its rarity. It affects approximately 1 percent of the world’s population, according to the American Vitiligo Research Foundation.

His features changed, and the color of his skin lightened significantly over the last two decades of his life.

When the face of the most recognizable entertainer in the world faded to near alabaster, the transformation struck a sensitive cultural spot. It intrigued and even offended people, spawning numerous articles and blog posts speculating about his metamorphosis.

This week, a source involved with the investigation into Jackson’s death said the singer’s body was “lily white from head to toe.” And another source said Jackson had “paper-white skin. As white as a white T-shirt.”

The singer denied changing his skin color for vanity reasons and repeatedly asserted that he had a disease called vitiligo, in which the immune system attacks cells that produce melanin, the pigment that determines skin color. The condition results in milky white spots.

For some patients, the discolored spots can spread entirely across the body, leaving only freckles of the original skin color, although this is not very common, experts said.

There is no surgery to lighten the skin. In the United States, a powerful medication called Benoquin, also known as monobenzene, can be used to treat extreme cases of vitiligo.

Michael Jackson’s single white glove was his trademark — an iconic image for a performer whose career constantly set, then redefined, pop culture trends. But it also was an early effort to mask a skin condition that he would struggle with for the rest of his life, say some who were close to him.

Do you know anyone that has Vitiligo?

Full story :CNN,CNN2

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24 Responses to “Michael Jackson’s Skin Color Transformation caused by Vitiligo”

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24
N D Jones Says:
July 17th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
I believe MJ had vitiligo but I believe he also had a lot of self image issues because of it (vitiligo) and his families jokes regarding his nose during his teenage years. Vitiligo can spread quickly or slowly. I belive Michael tried to beat the vitiligo clock. I got a cousin that was black until I was 15 then all of the sudden all white. When I was grown he showed me his vitiligo and then showed me the make up he has now. He did have a rhinoplasty due to a basketball injury and found the nose he woke up with was more pleasing. I think Michael just kept going and going. Kind like an anorexic person. We might see bones but the person still sees fat.
23
Kerri Says:
July 13th, 2009 at 11:49 am
It is possible that M.J. had vitiligo. In my opinion that is not the strange part. It’s the fact that he kept having surgery on his perfectly wonderful face. He was a handsome young black man, why did he think he had to do the things to his face that he did? If he liked himself, what was the point of all the surgeries? I doesn’t take a psychologist to see that this man had some issues with his appearance, and it’s funny how people never stop the rich and famous from destroying themselves. It’s almost like the general public likes to see people self destruct!
22
Tracy Says:
July 12th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
I can not belive how invested some people are in believing lies about MJ and yet he is supposed to be the crazy one. Get educated. All you have to do is use Google to find several examples of people who have gone completely white.

MJ was speckled like the man in this link:
http://www.jacksonaction.com/text/vitiligo-filer/image002.jpg

As for his hair, he had a palm sized 2nd/3rd degree burn on the crown of his head that lead to many painful skin grafts and reconstructive surgery. In addition Lupus causes hairloss. So each time they used scalp stretches to try to cut out the scar the bald spot kept enlarging.

I can’t believe how evil some people in this world really are. But some of these comments prove that evil judgemental people are all around and what they think they see in others is really just their own wicked reflection.

Educate yourselves and stop spreading hate.
http://www.avrf.org/stories/vit_voices.htm
21
paul terell Says:
July 11th, 2009 at 2:24 am
After seeing the circus that was this last trial, I can see why a person of Michael’s profile might opt to settle, and let it go away, but to many of us that just further confirmed his guilt. Several years later comes forth a new case and, popularity affected(remember this is the consumate artist), he decides to go to trial, and is aquitted on all counts. In a nutshell,the plantiffs(dad, mom, and child) were judged to be not credible. They wanted a settlement. Michael wouldnt. Their case, literally, fell apart in court. Many of us saw that play out, but the guy was so strange(or so reported), and looked so strange, that many of us thought there must be something that “wasn’t right” about him, and the tabloids, with their always convenient, but anonymous, source of a “close friend of the family”, continued churning out stories from these “sources”. Pictures became whatever the tabloids wanted them to be. Because he was different(but wasnt Beethoven, Michelangelo?) he became an easy target for the tabloids, and with nothing to counter the negative stuff(that would be a full time job in itself),we(the public) ate up the never-ending barrage of this type of reporting on him. This is how these people made their living, paid their mortgage, raised their kids stories. Its what sells.