Dr Klein, Michael Jackson’s Dermatologist, aesthetic face reconstructionist, and friend spoke to Larry King in candid a interview about meeting Michael Jackson and diagnosing him with Lupus and Vitiligo. Klein additionally rendered his opinion of Michael’s plastic surgery, drug use, and the paternity of his children; however, this article focuses on Michael Jackson’s Vitiligo and Lupus.

                Dr. Arnold Klein has been dubbed “Dermatologist to the Stars.” He is a board certified medical doctor, specializing in dermatology and cosmetic surgery. He’s accredited with revolutionizing Botox with injectable fillers. Dr. Klein asserted that a close friend referred Michael Jackson to him. The friend could have possibly been Elizabeth Taylor, whom Klein’s website lists as a close friend. Jackson had been seeking treatment for his severe acne problem, but the moment Klein saw Michael Jackson, he noted a butterfly rash on the face and crusting of the scalp. Klein immediately decided that Michael had Lupus. A biopsy confirmed Klein’s suspicions.  

Vitiligo is a side effect of Lupus, caused by the immune system attacking one’s pigment cells. It’s more pronounced in black people than white people because it’s harder to tell that a white person is losing pigment. Michael’s whole body began to speckle, specifically his face and hands, which Dr. Klein told Larry King was difficult to treat. When Larry King asked if Michael wanted to be white, Dr. Klein replied, “No, Michael was black. He was proud of his black heritage. He changed the world for black people.”

Dr. Klein said that Vitiligo can be treated with certain drugs or laser treatments to even out in the pigmentation loss.  In Michael’s case, they chose to use creams to lighten the darker portions, and destroy the remaining pigment cells. They chose to make Michael lighter because Michael’s skin had more white patches than darker ones. If they had chosen to try to match his original skin, he would have looked even more unreal.

In some Vitiligo cases, the skin will try to restore its own pigment. It just cannot do it at the rate that it’s being destroyed.  This means that white blotches could become freckled with darker patches, as you can see in these photos. Dr. Klein stated that once they had gotten the Vitiligo to a manageable state, the treatment became about maintaining the reoccurrences of Michael’s original pigmentation.