So glad someone said this! I know it's an older comment, but I am genuinely surprised at the lack of research some MJ fans display when it comes to how MJ's skin conditions truly manifested. Without going into too much detail and medical terminology, as someone who works in the medical field, I will say the following:
Michael's skin changes were primarily caused by medical conditions. His entire appearance changed because of them, actually, not just the pigment of his skin. To dive a little deeper, given the health conditions he was battling (discoid lupus, universal vitiligo, permanent damage to his scalp and constant pain after the burning incident with the Pepsi commercial), Michael did his best, something even his autopsy confirms. I work with patients with discoid lupus and vitiligo, both of these conditions affect pigmentation, with universal vitiligo covering over 80% of a patient’s body. Couple this with the fact that discoid lupus (autoimmune disease) causes skin lesions, hair loss, muscle atrophy and it affects the skin around the eyes, mouth, the aspect of fingernails, etc. This also explains why his smile looks different in later years, the muscles around the nose and mouth can atrophy and be harder to move. My heart breaks every time I remember how much the media criticised his appearance when so much of it was out of his hands, it was happening against his volition. Even the surgeries (far fewer than the media liked to claim), they were predominantly reconstructive since lupus can *hinder* surgical wound healing. In other words, a discoid lupus patient who undergoes surgery will most likely notice that their surgery wound would never heal completely/properly. The damaged tissues would need constant reconstruction. As stated in the beginning, at the end of the day, people made fun of someone whose appearance changed primarily because of medical reasons. Also, let’s not forget that, just like any other human, MJ was also aging, his 50 year-old self couldn’t look identical to his 20-year-old self. Then you have celebrities like Jack Black, Eminem, Oprah and many others who went out of their way to make fun of Michael, mock him and even betray his trust. I am so fed up with these people. I wish Michael knew how loved he was and still is. I am heartbroken every time I remember that he probably died without believing he was beautiful and truly appreciated.