Surgical management of vitiligo

Abstract

Vitiligo is a common condition characterized by hypopigmented and/or depigmented spots on the skin, affecting approximately 1–2% of the world population. Until approximately 30 years ago, it was exclusively treated by medical therapies. The most commonly used medical therapies include topical steroids, calcineurin inhibitors and phototherapy. Lesions on the face and neck respond the best to medical therapies, followed by lesions on the proximal extremities and trunk, while those distributed over acral parts of extremities and nonhairy areas, such as the wrist, feet and male genitals, respond poorly. Surgical methods complement medical therapies by providing melanocytes to these refractory lesions, and are indicated for unilateral segmental and clinically stable bilateral vitiligo, refractory to medical treatment. Tissue-grafting methods include minigrafting or punch grafting, epidermal grafting and split thickness grafting. These methods use full-thickness punch grafts, roof of epidermal blisters and shave biopsy samples, respectively, as the source of melanocytes. Cellular grafting includes noncultured and cultured melanocytes/keratinocytes suspensions obtained from trypsinizing the shaved skin biopsy sample as a source of melanocytes. Recent advances over the years have enabled dermatologists to treat extensive areas located on any anatomic site in a single operative session by surgical intervention. The purpose of this review is to describe the selection criteria for the surgical treatment, their utility and limitations in the various types of vitiligo.