Microneedling with 5-fluorouracil an effective treatment option for vitiligo

Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease characterized by CD8(+) T lymphocyte-mediated destruction of melanocytes that results in patches of skin depigmentation. This chronic condition is notoriously difficult to treat and several treatment modalities have been tried for the treatment of vitiligo.Unfortunately, no optimal treatment has been identified till now.Mary Mina, from Tanta University in Egypt, and colleagues conducted a study to evaluate the efficacy of micro needling with 5‐flurouracil vs its efficacy with tacrolimus in the treatment of vitiligo.The researchers found that Microneedling in combination with 5-fluorouracil is a safe and effective treatment for vitiligo.The findings of the new research have been published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.

In the research twenty‐five patients with vitiligo were subjected to micro needling of 2 patches of vitiligo with dermapen, then application of 5‐fluorouracil to 1 patch and tacrolimus on the other patch. This procedure was repeated every 2 weeks for every patient for maximum 6 months (12 sessions). The patients were followed up for 3 months after the last session.

The researchers found that overall repigmentation was significantly higher in the patches treated with 5-fluorouracil compared with tacrolimus. The excellent improvement was seen in 48 percent of the 5-fluorouracil-treated patches versus 16 percent of tacrolimus-treated patches. Similarly, in the acral parts, the excellent improvement was seen in 40 percent of the patches treated with 5-fluorouracil versus no patches in the acral parts treated with tacrolimus. There were significantly more adverse reactions with 5-fluorouracil, including inflammation, ulceration, and hyperpigmentation.

The authors concluded, "Microneedling combined with 5-fluorouracil or tacrolimus was a safe and effective treatment of vitiligo,".

For further reference log on to :

https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.12440 new Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.