Vitiligo
VITILIGO SKIN DISEASE LASER
Vitiligo is a condition that causes depigmentation of parts of the skin, characterized by the presence of white patches on the skin. It occurs when melanocytes, the cells responsible for skin pigmentation, die, or are unable to function. The goal of vitiligo treatment is to improve the appearance of skin lesions. Depending upon the size, number, and location of white patches, an individualized treatment plan (medical, surgical, and adjunctive therapies) can be customized for the patient. Medical Management
In most of the cases, vitiligo treatment can be done with medication. Experts may suggest creams or gels to apply directly on the skin. Medical management requires the supervision & expertise of a dermatologist.
Adjunctive Therapies
a. PUVA light therapy: This method is mostly used in vitiligo treatment. UVA light coupled with a medicine psoralen is used to restore the colour of the skin. This treatment requires the expertise and supervision of a dermatologist.
b. NBUVB light therapy: This method has become the vitiligo treatment of choice for a wide range of populations. It is therapeutically more effective with minimal side-effects.
c. Excimer laser: If medication does not seem to work or yield the desired result, laser vitiligo treatments can be used. Laser vitiligo treatments display effective results within the expected timeline. In this method, a laser is used to re-pigment the skin and restore the color. The excimer laser is a 308 nm wavelength laser. Surgical Management
The basic idea of vitiligo grafting is to donate or introduce normal, functioning melanocytes to the depigmented skin. These functioning melanocytes are then expected to produce melanin pigment with eventual repigmentation of the vitiliginous skin.
Factors affecting the outcome of vitiligo surgery:
- Stability of vitiligo: Surgery can be performed only if the disease is not active and the lesions are not spreading or expanding anywhere in the body.
- Type of vitiligo: some forms of vitiligo respond better than the others.
- Location of vitiligo on the body: some body parts respond better to grafting compared to other body parts.
- Size and a total area of depigmentation: The choice of procedure also depends upon the total area to be treated. While tissue grafting procedures are better for smaller areas, cellular grafting remains the surgical vitiligo treatment of choice for extensive vitiligo.
Split Thickness Skin Grafting (STSG) (tissue grafting): This technique involves the transplantation of a sheet of the epidermis with some part of the upper dermis to the recipient area.
Melanocyte Transfer (cellular grafting): A split-thickness skin graft is harvested from a suitable donor area and this is treated with an enzyme. The different cellular components of an STSG are separated and a suspension is prepared out of these cellular components. The suspension contains epidermal keratinocytes and melanocytes. After the recipient bed is created, the cell suspension is spread thinly and evenly with a spatula on to the dermabraded recipient skin.
Penning down her expertise,Dr. Reena Sharma, one of the best skin specialists in Delhi NCR states that in Vitiligo, the immune system of the body starts attacking the healthy cells, ultimately affecting the body parts. It’s characterized by white patches on the skin, developing as a result of melanocytes within the skin. Since melanocytes are responsible for the color of our skin, white patches start to appear when they get damaged.
What Are the Purpose of Vitiligo Surgery?
Knowing the importance of keeping things transparent to his patients, Dr. Reena Sharma says that the treatment will simply be a helping surgery. Emphasizing on helping surgery, he elaborates that the surgery helps in re-pigmentation by spreading the melanocytes which are the pigment-forming cells on the white skin.
Post-surgery, phototherapy is conducted at Derma Essence for inducing pigmentation on the white skin. So, do make up your mind that you won’t be getting normal skin right after the vitiligo surgery.
What Is the Procedure of SBG Vitiligo Surgery?
This surgery is considered effective for small patches, majorly dealing in three steps:
Blister creation – The area is cleaned with betadine. Local numbing injections are given where suctions are created by syringes, taking approximately 2-3 hours.
Recipient site creation – The white patch is derma-branded with a machine along with removing the uppermost layer.
Graft placement – The blisters from the donor area are taken and placed over the recipient site and dressing is done. Phototherapy can be started after 2 weeks.
