What causes white patches on the skin of older people?
354531
Sometimes too much sun can have the opposite effect on skin.  Skin pigment cells called melanocytes are over-stimulated and essentially "burn out."  This usually presents as pinpoint light areas and is called guttate hypomelanosis. \nHere is a web site with photos.\nhttp://dermnetnz.org/colour/guttate-hypomelanosis.html
1035385
It sounds like a problem with your diet. I hope the dermatologist has some answers for you.
214245
Old age is the major cause of disability in older people.
511025
Geriatric high blood pressure,atherosclerosis,degenerative rheumatism,catharact,neurodermitis,cerebral vascular insufficiency,cerebral atrophy,osteophorosis,senile prurigo,ptosis,
942575
This skin reaction might  come on so suddenly eliminating  most of the causes of jewelry smudges and reactions on the skin.   This  “allergy” may be in-fact better called an extreme “sensitivity” to certain things.\n\nTHE PRIMARY CULPRIT MIGHT BE WHITE GOLD.  \nThe recipe for jewelry gold is generally pure gold, mixed with certain amounts of copper, silver and smaller amounts of other metals.  The recipe is melted into a uniform metal.  This is what makes the “karat” golds and determines the karat. For instance, 14 kt gold will have 14 parts pure gold and 10 parts made of other metals.  The total is 24 parts.  Think of pure gold as 24 karat and this makes sense.  Pure gold is mixed with other metals and the result is called an alloy, or mix of metals made to produce a metal made for a specific purpose.  \n\nGold is alloyed with other metals to make it strong enough for jewelry wear and to make the color desired.  Color?  Pure gold is very yellow.  White gold is an alloy or mix of metals with  the white colored metal NICKEL  added.  Some white gold uses another metal but most uses nickel.  Nickel makes the alloy a white color: The metal is “almost white” and sometimes a tinge of the yellow will show slightly.\n\nWhy is WHITE GOLD the likely culprit?  It is the nickel in the alloy.  Some people cannot wear white gold at all, since they are sensitive to nickel.  This is not uncommon at all.\n\n Generally, a sudden change in sensitivity indicates either a change in  the body chemistry, a change on what is “on” the skin(cosmetics, etc.) or some more outside environmental change.  Keep in mind, there is at least one solution that does work for many women even if it must be repeated ever so often.  \n\nBody chemistry is affected by medicines, diets, etc.  Medicines are the quickest to bring possible changes in body chemistry(and changes in perspiration, etc.) which may cause sensitivity to metals, especially the nickel in white gold.  Different hand lotions or cosmetics play a limited role in this, with the cosmetics being minute abrasives that actually will scrape away minute portions of the metal from jewelry.  Of course, that is generally a neck and ear problem, not on fingers!\n\nPhysical changes in hormones and just about anything can affect the skin, though skin oils and perspiration play a part.  \n\nExternal conditions which have changed or changes to the jewelry itself may play a part in the sensitivity dermatitis reaction.  For instance, salty air in a beach  or ocean type area can lead to a combination of chemical salts that form from the air and perspiration and moisture which can affect gold.  If these chemicals are not cleaned from the jewelry often, reactions can happen.  You will not “see” the chemicals and cleaning is recommended often.  A gentle wash with a dishwashing detergent(never use soap!!!) is sufficient.\n\nChlorine is a major problem with white gold.  This means swimming pools, hot tubs, having your hands and ring in bleaches, etc.   Chlorine actually reacts with the metals in the white gold mix.  This can cause prongs to break, cracks to form and quite possibly allow more contact with the skin of the “nickel” parts of the alloy.  You see, while most yellow gold does not react significantly to chlorine, nickel based white gold can actually be “corroded” in a microscopic way.   The microscopic damage might just allow more chemical nickel metal contact with the skin.
73420
It's because of the scab. It is just like dry skin. The old skin dries up and new grows underneath.
852639
man go see a doc .. white spots do not happen because of lack of sleep they are dark circles ... i think ur getting aneamic .. dunno ... just go see a doc ...
123509
If you are getting older  could be due to aging process
249993
It's the little red spots on the backs of some people's arms.\n\nMoisturizers and/or cortizone. I've never found a true solution and according to my ex-wife (doctor), there really is none.
883214
if it is a patch of skin that is a little dry and has less pigmentation that the rest of your skin it could be caused by a bacteria that grows on your skin.  My boyfriend gets it and it has to be treated with a special soap and a special cream.  It sort of looks like white spots, but he says it doesn't itch, not sure if that is what you have, but if so...you can't treat it over the counter and the soap and meds are pretty expensive.  one tube of the cream costs him $40 and that is after insurance pays their portion.
913863
Sounds like a condition called contact dermatitis to me.  Our doctors in the clinic I work in see this all the time in men.  Nothing to worry about.  At least, that's what they always diagnose it as.
780427
1: Arch Dermatol. 1964 Mar;89:357-9.\nLICHEN PLANUS-LIKE ERUPTION CAUSED BY COLOR DEVELOPER. THE TOPICAL ACTION OF 3-METHYL-4-AMINO-N-DIETHYL-ANILINE MONOHYDROCHLORIDE (CD-2) ON THE SKIN.\n\nOther Possible Causes\n\nIt affects about 1 percent of the population, predominantly women, and usually appears during the fifth or sixth decade. Possible causes of oral lichen planus include non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), iodides, tetracycline, gold, streptomycin, hydrochlorothiazide, dental fillings containing mercury in the form of amalgam (if the patient is allergic to mercury), and rough fillings. Causes may have an allergic reaction pattern, particularly following exposure to dyes and color film developers. Links have been seen with alopecia areata, vitiligo, chronic ulcerative colitis, graft-versus-host reactions, and viruses
100743
also called vitiligo\n\n\nopical steroid therapy: Steroids may be helpful in repigmenting (returning the color to white patches) the skin, particularly if started early in the disease. Corticosteroids are a group of drugs that are similar to the hormones produced by the adrenal glands (such as cortisone). Doctors often prescribe a mild topical corticosteroid cream for children under 10 years old and a stronger one for adults. Patients must apply the cream to the white patches on their skin for at least 3 months before seeing any results. It is the simplest and safest treatment but not as effective as psoralen photochemotherapy (see below). Patients using topical steroids are closely monitored for side effects such as skin shrinkage and skin striae (streaks or lines on the skin).\n\nPsoralen photochemotherapy: Psoralen photochemotherapy (psoralen and ultraviolet A therapy, or PUVA) is probably the most beneficial treatment for vitiligo available in the United States. However, it is time-consuming and care must be taken to avoid side effects, which can sometimes be severe. Psoralens are drugs that contain chemicals that react with ultraviolet light to cause darkening of the skin. The treatment involves taking psoralen by mouth (orally) or applying it to the skin (topically). This is followed by carefully timed exposure to ultraviolet A (UVA) light from a special lamp or to sunlight. Patients usually receive treatments in their doctors' offices so they can be carefully watched for any side effects. Patients must minimize exposure to sunlight at other times. The goal of PUVA therapy is to repigment the white patches.\n\nTopical psoralen photochemotherapy: Topical psoralen photochemotherapy often is used for people with a small number of depigmented patches (affecting less than 20 percent of the body). It is also used for children 2 years old and older who have localized patches of vitiligo. Treatments are done in a doctor's office under artificial UVA light once or twice a week. The doctor or nurse applies a thin coat of psoralen to the patient's depigmented patches about 30 minutes before UVA light exposure. The patient is then exposed to an amount of UVA light that turns the affected area pink. The doctor usually increases the dose of UVA light slowly over many weeks. Eventually, the pink areas fade and a more normal skin color appears. After each treatment, the patient washes his or her skin with soap and water and applies a sunscreen before leaving the doctor's office.
633551
This is a problem called acanthosis nigricans.  It is generally associated with being overweight and is very often linked to insulin problems, although you may or may not be diabetic.  It is a sign that you should have your insulin function checked, however.  You will need to be tested for diabetes and insulin resistance.  Cutting back on carbohydrates, especially processed ones (white bread, white rice, etc.) may help, as would losing weight.  This is an endocrine system problem rather than a dermatological problem, so skin treatments might help the appearance a little but won't solve the problem.
757109
Okay, this is a kid's site, but it was (not joking) the most informative I could find. \nhttp://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/skin/fungus.html\n\nThis site is very informative as well:\nhttp://www.lymphedemapeople.com/thesite/lymphedema_skin_fungus.htm\n\nFrom my Mycology (study of fungi) notes:\nTiniea capitis affects the scalp\nTinea barbae affect the beard\nTinea corporis affects the entire body\nTinea cruris is the cause of jock itch\nTinea pedis would be athletes foot\nTinea unguium affect the hair\n\nThese are all dermatophytes and there are three genera: microsporum, epidermaphyton, and trichophyton.\n\nOther superficial fungal infections are Mallassizia furfur that causes white patches on the skin, P. wernecki (commonly known as Tinea nigra) that cause ring worm, and Piedra hortae and Trichosporon biegelii that affect the hair.\n\nI hope I didn't overwhelm you with information and that it is helpful. I can get you more information if you need it. There are several more types of fungi. These only affect the first layer of skin and hair. Others are more invasive. Hope that helps.
545461
Go to a dermatologist (or if the doc you mention is one, then go to a different one). I would really have to look at your skin to have enough information, but there is one possibility that occurs to me, and that is vitiligo. If that is the case, then the condition is really harmless, and all that you have to do is be careful of sun exposure. My mom has it, and she has never had any real problems except that she burns easily on those areas. See the link for more information.\n\nVitiligo would appear as patches of skin (the size of the patches varies) that have lost their pigment - like small areas of albino skin. However, you do need to have a diagnosis and make sure that there is nothing else that is going on. \n\nBest of luck.\n\nIf you would like to research the condition more, simply do a search for "vitiligo" in the Yahoo search engine. There are many sites, and there are also sites with pictures, FAQs, and treatment details.
115297
You could have eczema or possibly an allergy from foods, the type of laundry detergent you use, or maybe certain soaps and lotions.