Vitiligo Surgery

Vitiligo surgery is an effective method of treatment for selected, resistant vitiligo patches in patients with vitiligo.

Indications for vitiligo surgery : Surgery is indicated for stable vitiligo that does not respond to medical treatment.

Methods of Surgical Modalities

Punch grafting: In this procedure, punch grafts (of 1.2-2.0 mm diameter) are taken from donor areas over the thighs, buttocks, postauricular areas/posterior earlobe or the medial aspect of the upper arm. These are grafted into recipient sites in stable vitiligo lesions, which are created by using punches 1-2 mm in diameter.

Suction blister epidermal grafting: This procedure consists of obtaining very thin skin grafts consisting of only the epidermis. The recipient site is dermabraded by using either a manual or a motorized dermabrader, depending on the size and site of the lesion. Thin grafts are applied to the dermabraded recipient site.

Anesthesia

The recipient site is locally anesthetized by infiltration of 2% xylocaine, the pain of which can be reduced by prior application of EMLA ^® cream applied under occlusion for 1-2 hours.

Postoperative care: Proper postoperative immobilization and care are very important to obtain satisfactory results.