Vitiligo: autologous skin transplant is effective over the long term
Five years after the operation, most of the treated areas maintain a very good color. Among other treatments, this recent surgery has shown its usefulness.
Vitiligo is a very disabling disease. Not by its physical severity, as it is neither fatal nor even dangerous, let alone contagious, but by the impact it has on the quality of life of those affected. It is very stigmatizing, and the psychological repercussions are high, comparable to those observed during depression or even certain cancers. For less than 10 years, a new treatment has existed: MKTP surgery. It is based on an autologous transplant of healthy skin cells, and would be very effective in the long term, according to a retrospective study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit (United States), published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology .
75% efficient The hospital, which was the first to offer this surgery, analyzed the repigmentation of patients who underwent it between 2009 and 2014. And whether it is two, four or five years after the operation, it is effective at 75 %. "MKTP surgery works for the long term," said Iltefat Hamzavi, dermatologist at Henry Ford Hospital and lead author of this study. It is more effective than any technology we have available to treat this disease. "
Loss of melanin & skin discoloration
Vitiligo affects men and women alike, and fair skin as well as darker ones. This skin disease is manifested by the appearance of discolored patches, without other associated symptoms, in most cases. Friction areas (knees, elastic underwear, shaving area) are more often affected. A genetic origin has been identified, on several genes, and the immune system also plays a role in its appearance and development. If stress is sometimes associated with the onset or worsening of certain vitiligos, it is not the cause of this disease, which has long been considered psychosomatic. The discoloration is caused by the disappearance of certain cells, called melanocytes. These are responsible for the production of melanin, the main pigment in the skin. When they go away, the skin quickly discolors. In particular, this exposes patients to premature reddening when exposed to the sun.
Autologous melanocyte transplant Surgery
involves removing these melanocytes from a healthy area of patients' skin, causing them to multiply and grafting them onto the affected areas. In a few months, the production of melanin resumes, and the areas of vitiligo are reduced very noticeably. Other treatments exist, but seem less effective. UVB phototherapy, laser treatment, topical corticosteroid ointments ... When vitiligo is generalized and the pigmented areas are less extensive than those discolored, total depigmentation may also be proposed.
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