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KMID : 1037020160050020063
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Medical Lasers; Engineering, Basic Research, and Clinical Application
2016 Volume.5 No. 2 p.63 ~ p.70
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Laser Treatments for Vitiligo
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Bae Jung-Min
Hann Seung-Kyung
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Abstract
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Vitiligo remains to be a major challenge in the field of dermatology. To this day, there is still no definitive cure. Although phototherapy has been the mainstay to manage vitiligo, it is associated with several adverse effects, such as tanning, burning, and skin aging, due to the unavoidable exposure of normal, uninvolved skin to intense ultraviolet radiation. Laser treatment has an advantage in treating vitiligo in a targeted way, and it appears to be a reasonable option for localized vitiligo. Moreover, a majority of patients have limited involvement of body surface area. An increasing number of reports have highlighted the value of lasers as a treatment option for vitiligo. The 308-nm xenon chloride excimer laser is already considered to be a treatment of choice for localized vitiligo. Additionally, there are emerging lasers that have been attempted as the treatment of vitiligo, including low-energy 632.8-nm helium-neon lasers, ablative fractional lasers, gain-switched 311-nm titanium:sapphire laser, and 355-nm monochromatic ultraviolet A1 laser. While evidences for these laser treatments of vitiligo are limited, some results seem to be promising. For example, studies have shown a responsiveness in otherwise refractory cases and via different mechanisms of action. However, most studies were uncontrolled and non-comparative, and have produced no conclusive results. Nonetheless, it is expected that we will witness greater development and advancement in laser treatments for vitiligo soon. In this article, we discuss the current state of laser treatments for vitiligo and proposed mechanisms of action.
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KEYWORD
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Excimer, Laser treatment, Vitiligo
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