Current and emerging treatments for vitiligo

Abstract

Clinicians should be aware that vitiligo is not merely a cosmetic disease and that there are safe and effective treatments available for vitiligo. It is important to recognize common and uncommon presentations and those with active disease, as well as their implications for clinical management; these were discussed in the first article in this continuing medical education series. Existing treatments include topical and systemic immunosuppressants, phototherapy, and surgical techniques, which together may serve to halt disease progression, stabilize depigmented lesions, and encourage repigmentation. We discuss how to optimize the currently available treatments and highlight emerging treatments that may improve treatment efficacy in the future.

Keywords: afamelanotide; biologics; corticosteroids; excimer lamp; excimer laser; grafting; leukoderma; methotrexate; narrowband ultraviolet light; phototherapy; pigmentation; tacrolimus; treatment; vitiligo.