A Comparative Study of Combined Effect of Dermaroller and Topical Tacrolimus (50 Cases) vs Topical Tacrolimus Alone (50 Cases) in Patients of Stable Vitiligo (Total 100 Cases)

Abstract

Background: Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease produced as a result of interaction of environmental, genetic, neural factors, leading to the destruction of melanocytes and appearance of depigmented macules. It is a chronic disease of great cosmetic concern. As it is often recalcitrant to medical treatment alone, many surgical techniques are used to treat stable vitiligo. Aims and objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of combined dermaroller and topical tacrolimus versus topical tacrolimus alone treatment in the patients of stable vitiligo. Materials and Methods: Material:Dermaroller specification :192needles, 1.5 mm diameter Method: Patients were randomly assigned into two groups of 50 patients each. Group A received treatment with dermaroller followed by topical tacrolimus whereas Group B received treatment with topical tacrolimus alone. In both the groups, standard medical treatment was also given. Standard digital photographs were taken at each visit to support the data. Results: The dermaroller group showed maximum patients with excellent response in 44% cases as compared to topical tacrolimus alone group which showed excellent response in 24% cases. Limitations: small sample size and absence of control group were the main limitations of our study. Conclusion: Dermaroller is safe and effective tool for repigmentation in vitiligo with minimum side effects for transdermal drug delivery. Keywords: Vitiligo, Dermaroller, Tacrolimus