The breakdown or destruction of color-bearing pigments or the loss of pigmentation in cells or tissue.
From Greek 'a-' (without) + 'chroma' (color) + 'lysis' (breaking down). A scientific term combining the prefix 'achroma-' with the common suffix '-lysis' used throughout biology.
This is what happens at the cellular level during depigmentation diseases—your cells essentially self-destruct their color-making machinery, which is why conditions like vitiligo create those stark white patches on skin.
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