Vitiligo surgery
Vitiligo is an autoimmune skin disorder characterised by white spots and patches over different areas of the body. The medical management of vitiligo aims to stabilize the disease and cause as much as the pigmentation as possible in the white patches. However, many times the medical management is not able to achieve complete re-pigmentation of these patches. The repigmentation in such cases is achieved through various surgical modalities.
Who gets vitiligo?
Around 1 to 2% of the total population of the world gets vitiligo. The onset is usually between the age of 10 to thirty years and some cases have a positive family history. The risk of developing vitiligo increases if anyone else in the family is also suffering from vitiligo. In addition, people suffering from other autoimmune diseases like thyroid diseases or diabetes also have increased risk of developing vitiligo. Environmental factors like physical trauma, illness, or emotional stress can also precipitate vitiligo.
Who is the right candidate for vitiligo surgery?
Patients in whom the vitiligo patches have shown the signs of stabilization (no increase in the number and size of white patches for atleast 6months-1 year) And in whom, the medical management has failed to completely re-pigment the patch are ideal candidates for vitiligo surgery. Surgery is not advisable for people who easily develop scar and developed keloids.
What are the different vitiligo surgeries available at Dermosphere Clinic?
At Dermosphere clinic, we perform punch grafts (Small punches of skin tissue are transplanted from the donor areas to the recipient areas in the white spots); Split thickness skin grafts (large pieces of upper skin tissue is transplanted from the donor areas to the white spots after dermabrasion); Blister grafts (blister roofs from normal skin are transplanted to white spots after dermabrasion) and cellular grafts (melanocytes and other skin cells from normal skin are transplanted to white spots where the top layer has been removed by Dermabrasion).
Do I need to continue medical management along with surgical modalities?
Yes, in many cases the surgery may be combined with a short course of corticosteroids, topical creams or phototherapy to speed up the repigmentation and improve the cosmetic results.
How are the results of vitiligo surgery?
The treatment outcomes may vary from individual to individual and also depends on the site of vitiligo. Most scientific literature shows that surgery is effective in 80 to 95% of the cases. Some cases might require a follow up surgery to cover up the remaining white areas.
Is vitiligo surgery safe?
When done by the expert dermatologist, the vitiligo surgery is considered to be a safe surgery. Certain limitations of the vitiligo surgeries have to be kept in mind like change in the texture of transplanted skin, spotty colour matching, hyperpigmentation and graft rejection.
What are the benefits of getting vitiligo surgery at the Dermosphere clinic?
We use the best technology and instruments We do not compromise on our standards and provide the highest grade of patient care Consultation and treatment are personally undertaken by our renowned dermatologists who are experts in vitiligo procedures Our Dermatologists are well known for their methods of achieving incredibly natural results Maximum patient comfort during the treatment