Since these pale white patches on the skin lack melanin, they are more likely to get sunburn. (2) But interestingly, that doesn’t necessarily make people with vitiligo more susceptible to developing skin cancer. Here’s what you should know about the interesting relationship between vitiligo and skin cancer. People with dark skin are less likely to get a sunburn than people with light skin because they have more melanin. It might then seem a logical jump to suspect that people with less melanin (as is the case in people with vitiligo) are at an increased risk of this type of damage, including having an increased risk of skin cancer. The research shows otherwise. Instead, data shows that vitiligo actually lowers one’s risk of developing skin cancer. “While having vitiligo doesn’t mean that you won’t get skin cancer, it seems to decrease the risk by about threefold,” explains Michelle Rodrigues, MBBS, a dermatologist in private practice in Melbourne, Australia. Another study from 2018 reached a similar conclusion. The researchers used data from nearly 300,000 people who have used the genetic testing service 23andMe, plus 3,000 other people from a cancer center. The researchers compared genes that were associated with vitiligo with genes associated with skin cancer. They ultimately found an inverse relationship between the risk of vitiligo and the risk of three different types of skin cancer: melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. (6) RELATED: The Four Types of Melanoma Why might having vitiligo lower the risk of skin cancer? One theory is that the genes that make someone susceptible to developing vitiligo (HLA-A and TYR) also lower their risk of developing malignant melanoma. (7) Dr. Rodrigues says that people with vitiligo exhibit a little alteration (or a change from what’s expected) in these genes, and that’s what provides some protection against skin cancer. Another theory involves the immune system. Vitiligo is considered an autoimmune disease whereby the body mistakenly destroys normal melanocytes, resulting in white patches on the skin. That overactive immune system could potentially fight off dangerous melanoma cells, too. This theory doesn’t explain why vitiligo might protect against nonmelanoma skin cancers. (6,8) It is worth noting that certain targeted chemotherapies used to treat some types of skin cancer have been associated with an increased risk of developing vitiligo. (9) Though more research is needed to answer that question more conclusively. “Patients with vitiligo still need to protect from the sun to avoid burning of the skin, especially if they are also having light therapy, which is used to treat some types of vitiligo,” Rodrigues says. It’s always a good idea to wear sunscreen. In addition to decreasing your risk of developing skin cancer, sunscreen can help you manage vitiligo. It’ll keep your skin from tanning, which means the difference in color between your normal skin and the skin that’s been discolored by vitiligo will be less noticeable. RELATED: 6 Steps for Choosing a Clean and Safe Sunscreen Plus, bad sunburn can be a trigger for vitiligo and make the condition spread or worsen. The Mayo Clinic recommends applying a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher every two hours. (10) What it boils down to is this: “Sun protection recommendations are the same whether or not you have vitiligo,” Rodrigues says. “But people with vitiligo don’t have to worry more about skin cancer than the rest of the population.”
