Adopt the latest treatments for vitiligo – skin grafting and melanocyte transplant

SINGAPORE - July 26, 2019 - PRLog -- Vitiligo is a skin disease in which the melanocytes or the pigment cells die in certain areas of the body and thus these patches get void of their colour. The melanocytes are responsible for producing melanin or the skin pigment and when they are destroyed, the skin loses its natural colour. Vitiligo can affect anyone, of any gender or age. Around 0.5 to 2% of people suffer from it.

Skin grafting for vitiligo – the latest treatment

Vitiligo is considered an autoimmune disease. It usually affects the face, hands, feet, elbows, and knees. People with darker skin tones show the symptoms more prominently. It is a lifelong condition and the most common treatments are light therapy and topical medication. New researches in the area of skin grafting have opened up possibilities of treating vitiligo successfully.

Skin grafting for vitiligo involves using normal skin as donor tissue. The grafts are surgically relocated on the affected areas. The new skin grafts produce pigment and the skin looks normal as the rest of the body.

This procedure is done in-house. The success rate is around 80-90%. People usually go for this method for a particular part of the body like face.

Skin grafting has attained popularity in the last 2-3 decades. There are various types of it with punch grafting being the simplest one.

People who want to adopt skin grafting for vitiligo (https://www.novenavitiligo.com/skin-grafting) must satisfy certain conditions like they must have stable vitiligo or their condition is the same for at least six months.

Melanocyte transplant for vitiligo

The patients can opt for melanocyte transplant for vitiligo (https://www.novenavitiligo.com/melanocyte-transplant) which has a success rate of over 95% ⁽²⁾. This is one of the latest methods that has gained popularity recently. In this method, the cells of the top layer of the skin, namely the melanocytes and keratinocytes are taken out surgically from the patient under local anaesthesia. These cells are grown in a culture in the lab. When they grow completely, they are put on the vitiligo affected skin of the skin.

This therapy is used in areas with limited vitiligo patches and which are stable for over six months.

Adopting melanocyte transplant or skin grafting gives best results if followed by proper maintenance. Phototherapy is one such method that is applied to stimulate cells to create new pigments faster in the areas where transplantation or grafting have been done.

Vitiligo is not contagious and doesn't cause any other complication. However, the social stigma makes people feel embarrassed and also affects self-esteem.

With skin grafting and melanocyte transplant for vitiligo, people are turning to new ways to treat this condition successfully.