How can vitiligo be cured?

Vitiligo is a skin disease. The occurrence of this disease causes many patients to fall into infinite inferiority, and at the same time it will have a certain impact on life, work, and interpersonal relationships. Therefore, how to effectively treat vitiligo is the hope of all patients. The following is a detailed introduction to some common treatments for vitiligo, such as drug therapy, phototherapy, etc.

1. Drug treatment

(1) Oral administration of psoralen and its derivatives such as methoxsalen followed by exposure to ultraviolet light.

(2) Skin irritants are applied topically to cause inflammation of the skin and promote pigmentation. Commonly used ones include 30% psoralea corylifolia tincture, nitrogen mustard alcohol, phenol (pure carbolic acid), 25% to 50% trichloroacetic acid, and blister beetle tincture. This method is only suitable for small skin lesions, and blisters may appear on the lesions after application.

(3) Corticosteroids: Local packing treatment with various corticosteroids such as beclomethasone dipropionate ointment, halometasone cream, and triamcinolone urea ointment.

2. Topical medications

Creams containing corticosteroids are more effective in reducing pigmentation in small areas of the skin. Can be used in combination with other methods. Hormones can cause skin atrophy and even form stretch marks in specific areas and should be used under the guidance of a doctor. The topical calcineurin inhibitor tacrolimus has achieved good results in the treatment of vitiligo and does not have the side effects of long-term topical hormones, so it is worth trying.

3. Phototherapy

The 311 narrow-band UVB skin disease treatment system is a photochemotherapy that irradiates the skin lesions with ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 311nm, stimulates the proliferation and migration of melanocytes, stimulates the activity of tyrosinase, accelerates the oxidation and polymerization of tyrosine, promotes the formation of growth factors that cause melanocyte proliferation and differentiation, restores damaged melanocytes, and achieves the purpose of curing vitiligo.

4. Covering method

Using concealing cosmetics, dyes, and self-tanning compounds is a simple and safe method. Self-tanning compounds such as dihydroxyacetone can give skin a tanned, tan-like appearance. These concealers are not permanent and cannot change the course of the disease, but the improvement in appearance is satisfactory. If sunscreen and concealer creams are not effective, some depigmenting drugs can be used for patients with severe conditions to remove the remaining pigments in normal skin and make the skin of the whole body appear uniform in color.