Background: Stable vitiligo has been treated by dermabrasion and noncultured epidermal cell suspension (NCES) effectively. However, not all patches respond well.
Objective: To investigate the efficacy of new pigmentation after medical treatment in the therapy of stable vitiligo.
Materials and methods: Medical records were retrospectively reviewed from October 2016 to March 2019, and 134 patients with stable vitiligo after medical therapy were further treated with NCES. They were divided into 2 groups: 70 patients in Group 1 had new pigmentation, whereas 64 patients in Group 2 did not. Repigmentation and satisfaction of patients and third-party assessors were evaluated at 3 and 6 months postoperatively.
Results: Repigmentation was scored as excellent (≥76%), good (51%-75%), fair (26%-50%), or poor (≤25%). Repigmentation of the 2 groups at 6 months postoperatively was excellent in 82.9% versus 23.4%, good in 10.0% versus 15.6%, fair in 7.1% versus 13.0%, and poor in 0% versus 48.4%, respectively. A positive correlation between satisfaction and repigmentation was found.
Conclusion: New pigmentation after medical treatment suggests increased efficacy of NCES in treating stable vitiligo.
Copyright © 2020 by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Inc. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.