Phototherapy and Combination Therapies for Vitiligo

Samia Esmat; Rehab A Hegazy; Suzan Shalaby; Stephen Chu-Sung Hu; Cheng-Che E Lan

doi:10.1016/j.det.2016.11.008

Phototherapy and Combination Therapies for Vitiligo

Dermatol Clin. 2017 Apr;35(2):171-192. doi: 10.1016/j.det.2016.11.008.

Authors

Samia Esmat¹, Rehab A Hegazy¹, Suzan Shalaby¹, Stephen Chu-Sung Hu², Cheng-Che E Lan³

Affiliations

¹ Phototherapy Unit, Dermatology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.
² Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, No 100, Tzyou 1st Road, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
³ Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, No 100, Tzyou 1st Road, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan. Electronic address: laneric@cc.kmu.edu.tw.

PMID: 28317527
DOI: 10.1016/j.det.2016.11.008

Abstract

Vitiligo is a disease characterized by disappearance of melanocytes from the skin. It can negatively influence the physical appearance of affected individuals, and may profoundly affect a person's psychosocial function and quality of life. Therefore, vitiligo should not be considered as merely a condition that affects a patient's appearance, but needs to be actively treated in patients who seek medical help. Phototherapy has been used as the main treatment modality for patients with vitiligo. Different forms of phototherapy for vitiligo include broadband UVB, narrowband UVB, excimer light and excimer laser, and psoralen plus UVA.

Keywords: Excimer; Narrowband ultraviolet B; Phototherapy; Vitiligo.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Humans
Lasers, Excimer / therapeutic use*
Low-Level Light Therapy / methods*
PUVA Therapy / methods*
Ultraviolet Therapy / methods
Vitiligo / therapy*