Landscape of Hand Vitiligo (Ep. 48)

Let’s be honest — when vitiligo hits your hands, there’s no hiding it. You notice. Everyone notices. And that’s what makes it one of the toughest forms to live with — and to treat.

The good news? A new study out of Osaka University finally gives this problem some structure. For the first time, scientists mapped out four clear subtypes of hand vitiligo — from small scattered patches in kids to full-blown depigmentation in adults. Each behaves differently. Each demands a different plan.

In this episode, we dig into what that means — not just for dermatologists and researchers, but for anyone who’s ever looked down at their hands and wondered what the hell is going on.

We also connect the dots with the previous VRF study, Rethinking Vitiligo: Five Distinct Faces of a Complex Disease and talk about where science is heading next — mechanical stress, smoking, JAK inhibitors, and all the messy human stuff in between.

No hype. No miracle cures. Just real data, real patterns, and a little more clarity in a field that desperately needs it.

Available everywhere you get your podcasts.

Full details: Defining the Landscape of Hand Vitiligo