Halo Nevus vs Vitiligo

How to tell the difference — key features compared side by side.

Feature
Halo Nevus
Vitiligo
Category
Benign
Common
Key feature
A mole surrounded by a white ring of depigmented skin. The immune system attacking the mole - usually benign, most common in teenagers.
Autoimmune destruction of pigment cells creating white patches. Affects 1-2% of people worldwide. Not contagious.
Risk factors
Adolescence and young adulthood; Tendency toward vitiligo or autoimmune conditions; Fair skin
Family history of vitiligo or other autoimmune conditions; Personal history of autoimmune diseases (thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes, alopecia areata); Can affect any skin tone but more visible in darker skin
Action needed
If the central mole has irregular features (asymmetry, irregular borders, multiple colors)
White patches appearing on the skin, especially if spreading

Halo Nevus

A halo nevus is a mole surrounded by a symmetrical ring (halo) of depigmented (white) skin. The white ring forms because the body's immune system is attacking and destroying the melanocytes in and around the mole - a process called immune-mediated regression.

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Vitiligo

Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks and destroys melanocytes (pigment-producing cells), resulting in well-defined white patches of skin. It affects approximately 1-2% of the world's population across all skin tones and ethnicities.

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Does yours look more like halo nevus?

Quick self-check

Does this look like halo nevus? Answer 2 questions.

Is there a symmetrical white ring surrounding the mole?

Does the central mole itself look normal (symmetrical, even color)?

Still not sure?

Our full ABCDE checker evaluates 5 clinical criteria dermatologists use.

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