What does leucoderma mean?
Leucoderma is a medical term for skin that has lost some or all of its pigment, creating white or sharply defined pale patches. It can be congenital, inherited, or acquired, and acquired cases may follow chemical exposure, inflammation, injury, or certain treatments. The term is closely associated with vitiligo, a well-known form of depigmentation, although leucoderma may also describe depigmentation with other causes. In medical writing, it is usually more specific than the general phrase loss of pigmentation and can distinguish a diagnosed condition from temporary or uneven changes in skin colour. The word is uncommon in everyday speech but useful to readers interested in dermatology, pigmentation disorders, and the history of medical terminology. It is also often encountered in compound phrases such as chemical leucoderma, where the expression identifies a particular cause of the skin changes.
nounA medical term for a condition in which areas of the skin lose their pigment and become white or pale. It may occur as vitiligo or as acquired depigmentation following certain chemical, physical, or inflammatory causes.
- A condition characterized by localized loss of skin pigmentation, producing white or pale patches.
"The dermatologist examined the patient for leucoderma and other causes of the sharply demarcated pale patches."
"The pale areas on her hands were diagnosed as chemical leucoderma following repeated exposure to a whitening agent."
"Researchers are developing a treatment that may stimulate repigmentation in patients with vitiligo, a common form of leucoderma."
The plural is uncommon because the term is usually used in a general or diagnostic sense rather than for individual cases.
"These leucodermas produced sharply demarcated patches of depigmented skin."
Its name literally means “white skin,” but the whiteness comes from pigment loss rather than from the skin being naturally pale.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of leucoderma
Leucoderma combines the Greek leukos, meaning “white,” with derma, meaning “skin.” The compound was developed in medical usage to describe the appearance of skin affected by pigment loss. Its relatives leucocyte, leukemia, and leukocytosis share the leukos element, while epidermis contains the same Greek word for skin.
How leucoderma is actually used
This is chiefly a technical medical term. The spelling leukoderma is especially common in American usage, while leucoderma is used in British and international medical writing.
Easily confused with leucoderma
Leukoderma is an alternative spelling of the same medical term rather than a different condition.