Pelin Eşme1, Güneş Gür Aksoy2, Gonca Elçin1. 1. Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. 2. Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:Narrow-band ultraviolet B (nb-UVB) phototherapy constitutes the gold standard treatment for vitiligo. Whether carbon dioxide (CO2) laser might increase the efficacy of nb-UVB is still a topic of debate. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that the addition of fractional CO2 laser to nb-UVB may enhance repigmentation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fractional CO2 laser was applied with an interval of 2 weeks for 7 sessions, only to 1 of the 2 symmetrical vitiligo patches located on 2 different half-body sides. Patients received whole-body nb-UVB phototherapy 3 times a week, for at least 4 months. Repigmentation was scored with a quartile grading scale, with the help of a computer program using the photographs taken by the digital dermatoscope. RESULTS:Fifty-one symmetrical vitiligo patches of 30 patients were included. No statistically significant difference was found between the mean repigmentation scores for the laser and nonlaser sides (p = .11). CONCLUSION: Results of this study suggest that combining fractional CO2 laser with nb-UVB phototherapy with the regimen used in this study does not increase the repigmentation scores for vitiligo.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Narrow-band ultraviolet B (nb-UVB) phototherapy constitutes the gold standard treatment for vitiligo. Whether carbon dioxide (CO2) laser might increase the efficacy of nb-UVB is still a topic of debate. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that the addition of fractional CO2 laser to nb-UVB may enhance repigmentation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fractional CO2 laser was applied with an interval of 2 weeks for 7 sessions, only to 1 of the 2 symmetrical vitiligo patches located on 2 different half-body sides. Patients received whole-body nb-UVB phototherapy 3 times a week, for at least 4 months. Repigmentation was scored with a quartile grading scale, with the help of a computer program using the photographs taken by the digital dermatoscope. RESULTS: Fifty-one symmetrical vitiligo patches of 30 patients were included. No statistically significant difference was found between the mean repigmentation scores for the laser and nonlaser sides (p = .11). CONCLUSION: Results of this study suggest that combining fractional CO2 laser with nb-UVB phototherapy with the regimen used in this study does not increase the repigmentation scores for vitiligo.
Authors: N F Post; N Ezekwe; V S Narayan; M W Bekkenk; N Van Geel; I Hamzavi; T Passeron; A Wolkerstorfer Journal: J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol Date: 2022-03-01 Impact factor: 9.228