In people with vitiligo, parts of the body become depigmented, causing completely white skin to appear as scattered patches. It is actually a reaction of the immune system that destroys melanocytes, the cells that give the skin, hair and eyes their color. This destruction occurs in localized places, giving rise to kinds of totally white spots on the rest of the colored skin.
To remedy this, doctors at Henry Ford Hospital in the United States graft pieces of their own skin to patients. They remove correctly pigmented areas of the epidermis and replace them on the discolored areas. After two months, the area treated by this surgery begins to recreate melanocytes and to regain color.
The treated areas repigment durably
In a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, researchers observe that the results remain excellent or very good five years after the procedure. Repigmentation is maintained in 75% of cases after this time for 63 patients operated on between 2009 and 2014. For now, only the Henry Ford center offers this technique in North America, but these results could help democratize it. Other treatments include topical skin medications, light therapy, or depigmentation, but they are not always effective. “The technique of melanocyte and keratinocyte transplantation, or MKTP, works, and lasts over time. It is better than any other technology we have to treat this disease, ”said Iltefat Hamzavi, dermatologist and lead author of the study. While vitiligo is not serious or contagious, it can make life difficult for patients because the discolored spots attract stigmatizing looks and derogatory remarks. This treatment could therefore bring a real comfort of life for the patients.
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