New-look Jacko goes under cover

Pictures suggest that pop chameleon Michael Jackson has taken on yet another bizarre image change.

The 43-year-old pop icon has ditched his trademark sequinned white glove, and taken up a new look - finger tape.

The development paints a worrying picture - since they appear to indicate that the singer's skin condition is worsening. Jackson has always maintained that the reason his skin has lightened from dark to milky white is because of a condition called vitiligo.

The incurable condition results in the skin permanently losing pigment. But as a result, sufferers are left with no protection from the sun's harmful rays and hence have to cover up. Jackson has been told by doctors that he needs to cover up all parts of his body exposed to the sun, and the areas not covered by clothing should be covered during daylight hours by sunscreen with protection factor of at least 15.

The disease can often affect the skin in a patchy fashion and it is common practice to bleach unaffected areas whiter to match the tone of the rest of the skin. This may account for the lighter skin tone seen on Jackson now.

During a TV shoot in Pasadena, Los Angeles, Jackson shaded from the midday sun under a golf-sized black umbrella to cut out ultraviolet rays. In the 100F heat, he dressed head to foot in a black suit.

Jackson also instructed his entourage to cover his children head to foot in blankets to protect them from the sun's rays. The pair - his four-year-old daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and five-year-old son Prince Michael Jackson Jr - spent the day in a trailer while their father was filming.

The singer - whose albums Thriller, Dangerous and Bad are among the biggest selling records of all time - has also started wearing white tape on three of the fingers of his right hand.

He has sported this new fashion a number of times recently. The official reason? It makes his hand stand out more while performing dance moves on stage. He wore the sequinned glove for the same reason. But other commentators believe he wears the tape because his hero, the reclusive Howard Hughes, did the same thing.

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