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Preliminary study on the treatment of vitiligo with carbon dioxide fractional laser together with tacrolimus
Author(s) -
Chen Wei,
Zhou Yuan,
Huang Feiran,
Luo Dan,
Wang Daguang
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
lasers in surgery and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1096-9101
pISSN - 0196-8092
DOI - 10.1002/lsm.22821
Subject(s) - vitiligo , medicine , tacrolimus , carbon dioxide laser , dermatology , adverse effect , stage (stratigraphy) , surgery , laser , laser surgery , transplantation , paleontology , physics , optics , biology
Background Tacrolimus is a conventional medication for the treatment of vitiligo, but the effect of a single medication is limited. Objective This paper aims at observing the effects, adverse responses, and repigmentation results of the joint treatment of vitiligo by Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) fractional laser together with tacrolimus. Methods Forty‐five patients with vitiligo were randomly divided into two groups: treatment (T) group and control (C) group, and each group was further divided into three subgroups (face, torso and limbs, and hand and foot) according to the location of the skin defect. Both groups used topical 0.1% tacrolimus cream, but the T group was given one CO 2 fractional laser treatment each month. We observed the clinical efficacy, adverse responses, and repigmentation results after 6 months. Results Compared to the C group, the T group showed better improvement in both objective and subjective assessments. When the treatment time was increased, the efficacy was also improved, and the repigmentation in the T group occured in three ways: perifollicular repigmentation, marginal repigmentation and diffuse repigmentation. There were three cases of isomorphic responses (2 cases in the rapid progression stage, one case in the progression stage), and 1 case formed scarring on the neck in the T group. Conclusions The treatment of vitiligo by CO 2 fractional laser together with tacrolimus is significantly effective and is most suitable for patients in the progression stage. Patients in the rapid progression stage should use this approach with caution, and its efficacy was limited for patients in the stable stage. An extended course of treatment is helpful for the repigmentation of white patches. All three forms of repigmentation can occur in the joint treatment of vitiligo by CO 2 fractional laser together with tacrolimus. Lasers Surg. Med. 50:829–836, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.