[Editorial] Skin diseases: beyond the visible

Abstract

Even the very word vitiligo denotes stigma—it probably comes from the Latin vitium, meaning a blemish, a defect, or a flaw. The visibility of depigmented skin, a culture that judges people by how they look, and enduring misconceptions of contagion have reinforced negative social attitudes towards the condition even while it is often dismissed as merely a cosmetic concern. This double injustice has left many who live with vitiligo socially and culturally shunned. But science has moved on, and a deeper understanding of vitiligo's pathophysiology—the immune-mediated loss of pigment-producing melanocytes—has enabled the development of new targeted therapeutics.