Michael Jackson was convinced that he could not achieve anything until he had dark skin color. In those days when he first appeared on stage, blacks were oppressed and humiliated, and therefore the singer decided to change his skin color to white and did a lot of plastic surgery. This is one of the most popular myths about Michael Jackson. Indeed, he was constantly observed by doctors and repeatedly fell under the surgeon’s knife, but the reason was not at all in public opinion.
In the early 90s, it became known why, in fact, Michael Jackson decided to change his skin color. It turned out that the king of pop music suffered immediately then considered a rare autoimmune disease - vitiligo. In the early eighties, the singer's skin color could be defined as medium-brown, but after a few years, the change in shade began to be evident. It was then that dermatologist Arnold Klien made a terrible diagnosis to Jackson. The disease caused the appearance of white spots on the skin, as well as increased sensitivity of the epidermis to ultraviolet light.
Facts and rumors
In the early 80s, Michael was underweight. He followed a strict diet almost all his life, almost starving. Due to lack of nutrients, he was often dizzy, he became very irritable. Journalists and ill-wishers began to suspect a mental disorder in the singer, manifested in superperfectionism, constant dissatisfaction with himself, and the inability to adequately assess his appearance. One or two notes in the tabloid press became fertile ground for the rooting of hearing about the intentional change in skin color. In fact, Michael Jackson's skin brightened regardless of his desire. In medicine, this is called spontaneous depigmentation. Moreover, the shade changed unevenly, spots. Due to illness, the face began to deform. To preserve the "salable" appearance, the singer again and again resorted to facial surgery.
Very often, the pop idol had to spend 3-4 hours in the dressing room, waiting for the specialist to cover his face with tons of makeup. It was not easy to hide the spots, but often it was still possible to do so.
Confession of the pop king
On February 10, 1993, at a press conference, Michael Jackson explained to the world the reason for both strange behavior and unusual appearance. He noticed the first symptoms of vitiligo in his mid-70s. At that time, scientists and doctors knew too little about this disease. There was no way to reverse the changes or any medicine for vitiligo. The only solution to the problem for such a public person as Jackson was masking spots with cosmetics. Michael was indignant at the attention to this fact. He wondered why no one was discussing the millions of people who decide to darken their skin and go to sunbathe, and pry out why his skin became lighter. The singer also explained that he never wanted and did not try to become white. He could not control a complex genetic disease, and therefore at first he tried to hide the white spots. But then they became so large that they had to equalize the overall skin tone precisely in the light areas.
Even compared to ordinary Caucasian people, Michael Jackson seemed too pale. Such a sharp contrast in different areas of the skin is possible only in patients with vitiligo.
Jackson’s dermatologist, in the same 1993, affirmed that he had indeed diagnosed the king of pop music with vitiligo and lupus in 1986 and prescribed the medicine. The product that Michael Jackson had hoped for was a compound called monobenzene hydroquinone. This is a fairly powerful tool with a constant effect. This is what this depigmenting cream is different from ordinary bleaching. For healthy people, creams contain the usual hydroquinone, which gives a temporary effect.
Experts argue that if the method of repigmentation was sufficiently studied in the 90s, Michael Jackson would still be alive and well.
