Treatment of white spots mainly falls into the following levels:
Sunscreen:
Because the areas affected by vitiligo lack adequate melanin protection, the skin in these areas is particularly susceptible to UV damage. Therefore, vitiligo patients should pay more attention to sun protection than normal people. This not only protects the skin in the white spot areas but also avoids aggravating the color difference between the affected area and normal skin.
Therefore, patients with white spots should refer to the UV index every day and take appropriate sun protection measures.
Use of cover creams:
There are currently many good imported cover creams that can make exposed areas imperceptible after use, meeting the social needs of patients and reducing psychological stress.
Pigmentation restoration treatment:
1. Local application of steroids: Some small areas of white spots can restore pigmentation through the application of such creams. However, due to certain side effects associated with their use, patients should follow the instructions and monitoring of dermatological specialists.
2. Photochemotherapy [PUVA]: The principle of photochemical therapy involves applying or ingesting a drug called psoralen on the skin before undergoing UVA light therapy.
For white spots on the face, trunk, upper arms, or thighs, this therapy can provide about 50-70% success rate in restoring pigmentation. However, the effectiveness for hands and feet is poorer.
Patients need to undergo two to three treatments per week, and it usually takes over a year of persistent treatment to achieve better results.
3. Skin grafting: Transplanting abdominal skin to the affected area via blister suction, or cultivating appropriate melanocytes from extracted blisters in the lab before transplanting them to the affected area.
This method is only suitable for small-area use in patients who have failed the first two methods.