White Spots On Your Legs? Don’t Panic!

At this time of the year, as the last vestiges of a tan vanish from my shins, I find I’m left with a number of small round ghostly marks.  They’re on my arms as well as my legs and there seem to be more of them every year. I know that lots of you find you are blessed with these little patches too, so if you’re wondering what they are and what you can do about them, here goes. 

What are these white spots?

Don’t panic but their proper name is… idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis (IGH). Which sounds dire though it’s just a long name for the tiny flat white spots of de-pigmentation that crop up on our skin – any skin type, any ethnicity – with age. These are more noticeable at this time of year, when our arms and legs have picked up a bit of colour over the summer, and these tiny white patches, which are usually just a few millimetres across, start to stand out. I know they really worry some people, but these are incredibly common. By the age of 40 between 50 and 80% of us have some of these.

Why do we get these white spots?

It’s largely the result of sun exposure over time and it happens because the melanin – the pigment that is made within melanocyte cells doesn’t get properly transferred to the skin cells, leaving them paler than the surrounding skin. The good news is that they are completely normal and harmless. The bad news is – well, it’s only bad news if they bother you – but there really isn’t anything that you can do to get rid of them. So, you need to learn to live with them.

How can you get rid of white spots on the legs? 

If you nose around online, you’ll find websites which suggest that some topical treatments like retinoids, or clinical treatments like skin peels or excimer laser might be helpful.

However, I asked a leading laser practitioner (Dr Asif Hussein) about potential treatment for IGH and he said he wouldn’t offer treatment to anyone with this condition as it was very unlikely to make any difference, so it would be a waste of their money. Why? Because when the melanin-producing cells in skin are no longer there, it is not possible to stimulate them into action or achieve re-pigmentation. Sorry.

Could these be a fungal infection?

Some readers have asked whether these white spots could be a fungal infection that can be cleared with anti-fungal shampoo. The answer is no — idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis (IGH) isn’t caused by a fungus, so antifungal products won’t help.

White patches can sometimes be due to a skin yeast overgrowth called tinea versicolor, but that tends to appear on the chest, shoulders or upper arms rather than the shins, and the patches may look faintly scaly. If you notice pale patches that are new, spreading, or itchy, it’s best to get them checked by a doctor to rule this out.

So… what CAN I do about these white spots? 

If they’re really bothering you and, say, you’re off out wearing a party dress and bare legs, you could try a cover-up product – here are two brilliant ones: Margaret Dabbs’ Concealing and Firming Leg Serum, and Vita Liberata’s Body Blur – both of them give a light bit of cover and make legs look sleek and airbrushed.

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