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Whats new in Vitiligo

see main article too  vitiligo

It is a disease in which in white patches appear in the skin as a result of loss of function of colour producing cells called melanocytes.  In time these may disappear making the disease permanent and resistant to treatment.  So early treatment is obviously the key.

Many surgical approaches are used  with .  The mainstay if all the approaches is to introduce new color producing cells (melanocytes) to the area either from the patients skin or grown in the lab.

Small amounts of skin are taken from another site and places on the whitish patch.  (see skin biopsy)

The outer most layers of skin are literally shaved off from normal skin placed on the white patches.  The white patches must also be shaved off in preparation.  It is usually carried under general anaesthesia.

A slight variation of the above methods.  This requires to produce a blister in the normal skin and affected skin.

The blister skins are carefully removed and the white patches are replaced by the normal blister skin.  The normal skin is allowed to heal.

Melanocytes (colour producing cells) are removed from the patients skin by special techniques.  These are then grown in the lab and then introduced to the white patch.  It is quite complex and very expensive.

While using light for treatment has existed for decades the latest use has been with a specific band of light.

TL1L01 UVB

311nm wavelength of ultraviolet light has been used recently to treat vitiligo with good success and therefore has the advantage of not requiring any tablets it adds an important tool to fight vitiligo.

Watch this space it is bound to grow