Your doctor will ask about your family medical history, conduct a physical evaluation and exam the affected areas of your skin. The evaluation may include a careful assessment of your skin.1,2

The Wood’s lamp is a frequently used tool for diagnosing vitiligo. This ultraviolet light causes the affected areas to appear bright and chalky. Under ultraviolet light, the patches of vitiligo become more visible, helping to differentiate vitiligo from other skin conditions. 1,2

Other tests include:1

⚫  Blood tests to check for other autoimmune diseases

⚫  A Skin biopsy, in which a small sample of skin will be examined under a microscope for the missing melanocytes in the depigmented skin tissue

VSAS

VSAS (Vitiligo Signs of Activity Score) helps understand the current severity of vitiligo3

The VSAS appears to be a valid and reliable tool for assessing observable clinical symptoms related to disease activity. It includes a measurement instrument for scoring the VSAS and its sub-scores (c-VSAS, k-VSAS, h-VSAS) across 15 body locations.3

The overall VSAS is based on the presence of (at least one) visible clinical signs within the 15 predefined areas, resulting in a score ranging from 0 to 15. Additionally, three sub-scores can be calculated for each clinical sign.3

c-VSAS: confetti-like depigmentation; h-VSAS: hypochromic areas/borders; k-VSAS: Koebner phenomenon.

References:

References:

1. Vitiligo NIAMS [Internet]. NIH. Available at: https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/vitiligo/diagnosis-treatment-and-steps-to-take Accessed January 2025.

2. Vitiligo [Internet]. Cleveland Clinic. Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12419-vitiligo Accessed January 2025.

3. van Geel N, et al. Reliability and validity of the Vitiligo Signs of Activity Score (VSAS). Br J Dermatol. 2020;183(5):883-890.