Michael Jackson was an American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and dancer. He is considered one of the best-selling artists of all time with over 400 million records sold worldwide. Jackson was dubbed the ‘King of Pop’ and is considered a pioneer of music videos. He was also a prolific dancer with many prototyped moves like The Moonwalk. Jackson won many awards and was been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He won 15 Grammys, one Golden Globe, six Brit awards, and many more such trophies.
He was born into a poor working-class family in Indiana and had nine siblings. Michael got his start in the musical arena when he joined his family band ‘The Jackson 5’. He became famous as a solo artist and went on to release nine successful albums. In his career, he faced many different allegations. One such allegation was concern about a change in his complexion. Over the years, fans noticed how Jackson slowly became fairer and fairer. Everyone was confused and many conspiracy theories started to develop.
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Michael Jackson’s Vitiligo Diagnosis
As Jackson’s skin started becoming increasingly fair, fans became concerned for Jackson. Rumors started floating whether Jackson is getting his skin chemically treated to become fair. But the rumors were dismissed by his dermatologist Arnold Klein who said that Jackson became paler because of a condition known as Vitiligo. Michael Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo in 1986 and began taking medication for it. Vitiligo causes the skin to lose its color and become depigmented and paler in comparison to the earlier complexion.
It was reported that Jackson did not like patches of uneven skin and used makeup to cover it up. The makeup and creams made him look even more pale than usual. The singer also didn’t like when his skin looked like a spotted cow. This was further supported when after his death, bottles of hydroquinone and Benoquin were found at his home. These are prescribed to patients of Vitiligo and to treat the condition. So his pale skin was a result of his skin condition and not because of a cosmetic procedure.
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Other Ailments Faced by Jackson
Vitiligo is not the only condition that plagued Jackson. The singer was reportedly suffering from Lupus. His dermatologist Klein said that he was diagnosed with Lupus in 1983. Lupus is also a skin condition wherein the skin develops lesions and the patient can also suffer from a heart attack, heart failure, and seizures. It is an autoimmune disorder. Lupus also aggravated his vitiligo and he developed splotches of uneven skin with lesions.
Jackson had also undergone multiple surgeries like nose surgery (rhinoplasty), chin lifts as well as scalp surgeries. He had to undergo scalp surgery as a result of his hair catching fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial. As a result of the surgeries, he also got addicted to painkillers and became dependent on them. He had to undergo a one and half month long program to treat the painkiller addiction. He was also being given propofol to help him sleep which ultimately cause his death by overdose.
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