hi doctor , I am an African female aged 49 living in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. I have recently noticed a patch of discoloration of my skin on my shoulder , it looks like a cheetah skin, basically spotted. On my thigh and and arm i have noticed the same but the discoloration is even. The patches look lighter than my skin color.I have two patches on my arm,one about a centimeter in size and the other is much smaller. on my thigh it is in patches close to each other and in total is about 4 cm big. I went to see a dermatologist at one of the hospitals here and he quickly diagnosed it as Vitiligo and instructed that I start treatment immediate. The treatment seems pretty harsh and even dangerous as if I were to apply the medication outside the area of the spots those area will be affected. He also said I was to wear UV sunglasses as i was to sit in the 10am sunlight for one hour. Without the UV sunglasses he said i could risk losing my eyesight. My research over the internet describes Vitiligo as milk white discoloration of the skin. I am confused doctor, could you please tell me what it is that I have and how I should go about treating it? There is no known history of Vitiligo in my family. Thank You. SAADA IBRAHIM