A Case of Refractory Vitiligo That Was Treated with a Combination of Non-ablative 1550-nm Erbium:Glass Fractional Laser, Narrow-band UVB, and a Topical Agent

Park, Jae Beom; Park, Ji Hyun; Chun, Seung Hyun; Jang, Hee Won; Ryu, Hwa Jung; Kim, Il Hwan

Abstract

There are many therapeutic methods for treating vitiligo, including narrow-band UVB, topical corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, excimer laser, and surgical methods, such as autologous epidermal grafting and dermabrasion. However, although various treatments have been tried, there is still no reliable treatment. Recently, there were several reports about the use of fractional laser combined with narrow-band (NB) UVB to treat vitiligo. A 33-year-old male patient presented with hypopigmented patch on lower right abdominal area. After being diagnosed with vitiligo, the patient underwent NB-UVB treatment and application of a topical agent for two years but failed to show response. To evaluate the efficacy of non-ablative fractional laser, a 1550-nm erbium:glass (Er:Glass) fractional laser was applied to whole area of the lesion. The area showed erythema and brown microscopic epidermal necrotic debris. Five days after the laser procedure, NB-UVB treatment with application of a topical agent was initiated once or twice a week, followed by pigmentation of the treated area . The fractional laser was reapplied three months later, and the patient is currently under observation and is still being treated with NB-UVB. We observed successful treatment of refractory vitiligo with the combination of non-ablative 1550-nm Er:Glass fractional laser, NB-UVB, and a topical agent. We consider non-ablative Er:Glass fractional laser as a favorable choice of treatment for refractory vitiligo.