Which surgery is best for vitiligo?

The choice of surgical treatment depends on type of vitiligo, extent and site of lesions, availability of equipment and expertise of the treating surgeon. Split thickness skin grafting is the most successful out of all tissue grafting methods.

Is Skin grafting successful in vitiligo?

Split-thickness skin grafting is claimed to be the most successful tissue-grafting procedure in vitiligo and this has been our observation as well. With the use of ultrathin skin grafts, the outcome at both the donor as well as the recipient sites can be improved further.

Can vitiligo be cured with surgery?

Surgical treatment for vitiligo can be considered in two main categories: Grafting of melanocyte-rich tissue (tissue grafting) Grafting of melanocyte cells (cellular grafting).

What is melanocyte transplantation?

The idea is that the top skin layer of the white spots is removed, and healthy pigment cells (melanocytes) from another part of the body are transplanted there. After a few months, the transplanted melanocytes start working to make pigment, which deposits in the surrounding skin and the white spots disappear.

Can phototherapy cure vitiligo?

Overall, phototherapy is a well-established modality in the treatment of vitiligo, especially for widespread lesions occurring in adults.

Is skin transplant possible?

Skin grafting is a type of surgery. During this procedure, providers take healthy skin from one part of the body and transplant (move) it to cover skin that’s damaged or missing. Within a few days, the grafted skin begins to develop blood vessels and connect to the skin around it.

Is laser treatment effective for vitiligo?

The excimer laser produces monochromatic rays at 308 nm to treat limited, stable patches of vitiligo. This new treatment is an efficacious, safe, and well-tolerated treatment for vitiligo. However, therapy is expensive. Localized lesions of vitiligo are treated twice weekly for an average of 24-48 sessions.

What are the side effects of phototherapy?

Phototherapy is a valuable therapeutic tool in Dermatology, but there may be drawbacks. Acute and long-term adverse effects, of variable severity, include skin erythema, xerosis, pruritus, blistering, altered pigmentation, photoaging, and photocarcinogenesis.

Melanocyte Transplantation The methods for melanocyte transplantion are as follow: A- Transfer of a non-cultured melanocyte suspension In this method, a thin biopsy specimen of the normal skin is obtained under local anesthesia and the specimen is treated in order to detach the superficial part of the skin (epidermis).

How is vitiligo grafting done?

The vitiligo lesion which is to be grafted, is abraded by laser (or other methods such as dermabrasion) in order to remove the very superficial part of the skin (called epidermis). The blister roof produced by the suction device is then applied to this dermabraded area to cover it.

How to treat vitiligo lesions?

Melanocytes are then cultured in a special medium and incubated for several days. During this incubation period the melanocytes proliferate and permits to obtain a higher number. Due to the higher number of cells, this method allows to treat a larger total surface of vitiligo lesions compared to the other method.

How is dermabrasion used to remove vitiliginous epidermal pigmentation?

Dermabrasion or laserablation is performed on the recipient (vitiliginous) areas to remove the depigmented epidermis. The pigmented epidermis is placed on the denuded skin, locked in place and special bandages are applied on the area.