Journal of Dermatology and Dermatologic Diseases

Background: Targeted UVB phototherapy currently ranks among the most effective treatment options in localized vitiligo. Purpose: The study aims to assess the efficacy of Targeted NBUVB monotherapy in childhood vitiligo involving less than 10% body surface area. Methods: Thirty-five children with vitiligo, less than 15-years of age were treated with Targeted NBUVB device twice weekly till complete resolution of the treated lesions or till maximum of 30 doses whichever occurred earlier. The extent of re-pigmentation achieved was assessed on the basis of VASI scoring system and was graded as excellent (>75% re-pigmentation), good (50-75% re-pigmentation) or poor (<50% re-pigmentation) at the end of study period. The extent of re-pigmentation achieved was also correlated with the site and duration of vitiligo. Results: Three patients dropped out of the study after receiving just 1 to 3 doses because of personal reasons. Of the remaining 32 patients there were a total of 22 responders (68.7%) who showed at least 50% repigmentation of treated lesions. A total of 114 lesions were treated out of which 61 lesions (53.5%) achieved >75% repigmentation. Among the rest, 33 lesions (28.9%) failed to show a satisfactory response to treatment while 20 lesions (17.5%) showed a good response in the form of 50-75% repigmentation. Lesions on face and neck responded the best to the treatment regimen. Conclusions: Targeted NBUVB therapy is a promising therapy in childhood vitiligo where the disease involves <10% body surface area.

Vitiligo is a relatively common, emotionally frustrating, skin disorder, which is characterized by the development of white patches related to the progressive loss of melanocytes. Despite the continuous introduction of medical and surgical therapies, photo-therapies still represent the mainstay of vitiligo re-pigmentation. In the last years, this therapeutic field has seen several advances; the most recent is the micro-focused photo-therapy.

This study was conducted to examine and compare the clinical response of patients with small hemangiomas treated with two non-ablative lasers with wavelength radiation 755 nm and 595 nm. The treatment efficacy – curative effect and loss of pigment and appearance of scars were compared using Pearson’s chi-square test. The therapeutic effect of 595 nm laser radiation was very high – almost 100%. In the contrary, the exposure of 755 nm laser radiation caused loss of pigment and scar formation in some cases.

Background: Vitiligo is common autoimmune pigmentary disorders where there are no cutaneous cancers have been reported among affected patients. Objective: To estimate the frequency P53 marker and its role in protection against skin cancers in patients with vitiligo. Patients and Methods: This study took place in the Department of Dermatology, Baghdad Hospital during the period from May 2009-September 2010. It is composed of two parts: Part I was case descriptive study performed to record any association of skin malignancies in 300 vitiligo patients, 155 females and 145 males, while Part II was case observational, controlled, histochemical, investigative study to estimate the frequency of P53 in vitiliginous skin and adjacent normal skin in comparison with control group. Skin biopsies were taken from 25 patients, one from the centre of vitiliginous patch and the other about 0.5 cm adjacent to the patch (normal skin). Skin biopsies were also done for 25 individuals as a control group. Results: Regarding Part I of the study, no malignant skin diseases like basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma or malignant melanoma were found in the present work. In Part II of this work, the positivity of P53 in normal skin was 32%, while in adjacent normal skin was 84% and in vitiliginous skin was 96%. Conclusions: P53 marker is over expressed in vitiligo skin and this might give it protection against skin cancers

Vitiligo is mostly regarded as a consequence of autoimmune response, while the triggering factors remain to be determined. We checked the presence of HSV specific DNA, and IgG and IgM antibodies against HSV, in serum of 90 vitiligo patients by PCR and chemiluminescence methods, respectively. No HSV specific DNA was detected in vitiligo of any types or stages. The seropositivity of antibodies against HSV was similar between the patients and controls. Other approaches should be tried to clarify the role of HSV in the pathogenesis of vitiligo.