Laser Therapy and Tacrolimus Ointment Best for Vitiligo
Patients with vitiligo, a skin disease characterized by patches of un-pigmented skin, had better re-pigmentation of these patches when they were treated with a combination of laser therapy and tacrolimus ointment than the patients who were treated only with laser therapy, according to an article in the September issue of The Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
According to this article one to two percent people around the world are affected by vitiligo. Recently, the 308 nanometer excimer laser has shown good results in treating vitiligo patients. Furthermore, a new topical ointment (tacrolimus) has also given good results.
Thierry Passeron, M.D., of Hopital de l’Archet, Nice, France, and colleagues examined the results of the 308-nm excimer laser therapy in combination with tacrolimus ointment on 14 vitiligo patients aged between twelve and sixty three years.
In this comparative prospective randomized intra individual study, patients were divided into two groups (A & B). Four to ten lesions were chosen from each patient. Group A was treated twice a week with the 308-nm excimer laser for a total of 24 sessions and topical 0.1 percent tacrolimus ointment was also applied twice a day to target lesions for patients in group A whereas Group B was only given laser treatment. A total of forty-three lesions were treated (23 in group A and 20 in group B). The researchers observed hundred percent re-pigmentation in all group A lesions and eighty percent in 17 out of 20 group B lesions.
Researchers also compared treated lesions with control lesions (which were not treated) on the opposite side of the body and did not observe any re-pigmentation.
The authors wrote that, “A re-pigmentation rate of 75 percent or more was obtained in 16 (70 percent) of the 23 group A lesions and in 4 (20 percent) of the 20 group B lesions.” They noticed that average number of sessions needed to see improvements in re-pigmentation was 10 for group A and 12 for group B.
The researchers concluded that, “The combination of 0.1 percent tacrolimus ointment applied twice daily and 308-nm excimer laser therapy performed twice a week gives excellent results on UV-sensitive and UV-resistant areas. The treatment was well tolerated, and the patients were satisfied.”
Source: http://www.jama.com/