The effectiveness of excimer laser on vitiligo treatment in comparison with a combination therapy of Excimer laser and tacrolimus in an Iranian population

Abstract

Objectives: Usage of 308-nm excimer laser (EL) is an effective treatment in vitiligo. As genetic predispositions along with type of skin and rate of sun exposure are known factors influencing the treatment outcomes, we tried to evaluate the treatment results of using 308 nm-excimer laser alone in comparison with the combined therapy of EL and topical tacrolimus in Iranian patients with vitiligo. Methods: We reviewed the medical files of 150 patients with vitiligo who were referred to the Behsima Laser Center between April 2012 and April 2013. Seventy five patients who received combined therapy of 308 nm EL and topical tacrolimus three times a week entered the study. Seventy-five controls with matched characteristics and who received only EL were also selected. The amount of repigmentation was estimated by an expert dermatologist and was classified in 5 ranks. Results: In the case group, 33.3% (n: 25) showed 50–75% repigmentaion and 49.3% (n:37) had more than 75% response to therapy, whereas among the patients in the control group 29.3% (n: 22) showed no repigmentation and only 8% (n: 6) demonstrated more than 75% repigmentation response. The higher efficiency of the combination therapy on repigmentation was statistically significant (P: 0.006). Conclusion: Our study shows that Iranian patients with vitiligo who received a combined treatment course with 308-nm EL and tacrolimus 0.1% experienced significantly higher levels of repigmentation in comparison with laser therapy alone.

Key Words::

• vitiligo
• laser therapy
• repigmentation

Acknowledgement

This investigation was supported by the Islamic Azad University-Tehran Medical Branch, Tehran, Iran. We would like to thank all the staff that helped us in data collection at the Behsima Laser Center.

Authorship

All the authors have contributed sufficiently towards this publication to justify authorship criteria.

Copyright

We transfer all copyright ownership of the enclosed manuscript to the Indian Journal of Dermatology if it is accepted for publication. We warrant that this paper is original and has not been simultaneously submitted to or published in another journal, wholly or in part.

Ethics committee/Institutional review board's permission

We also declare that the study was assessed and approved by the institutional ethics committee/institutional review board.

Permission

Copy of permission(s), if any, to reproduce published material is enclosed.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no declarations of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

The funding and other supports were provided by the Behsima Laser Center, Azad University of Medical Sciences.