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Topical tacrolimus significantly promotes repigmentation in idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis: a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled study
Author(s) -
Rerknimitr P.,
Disphanurat W.,
Achariyakul M.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of the european academy of dermatology and venereology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.655
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1468-3083
pISSN - 0926-9959
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2012.04462.x
Subject(s) - medicine , tacrolimus , dermatology , placebo , grading scale , statistical significance , side effect (computer science) , randomized controlled trial , surgery , pathology , transplantation , alternative medicine , programming language , computer science
Background Idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis (IGH) is an idiopathic disorder affecting a large number of people. Effective treatments are not yet available. Objectives To investigate the efficacy of topical 0.1% tacrolimus ointment compared with placebo in the treatment of IGH. Materials and methods Twenty‐six patients were included in the study. Lesions on one side of the body were selected to have a treatment with 0.1% tacrolimus ointment, whereas those on the other side served as a control with placebo ointment that had the same physical appearance. Colorimeter was used to assess skin colour at baseline and at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 months of treatment. Results Mean luminosity scale after adjusted for baseline from the treated side gradually decreased and reached statistical significance compared with the control group after 6 months of treatment ( P = 0.019). Physicians’ improvement grading score showed that 11% of the patients demonstrated improvement of their skin lesions on the treated side after 6 months’ treatment. Conclusion Topical 0.1% tacrolimus ointment appeared to be an effective and safe treatment for IGH. The improvements were best observed by colorimetry, yet, they were not statistically significant upon clinical assessments.