A benign disease of the skin, vitiligo is characterized by the appearance of white spots on the body or face.
Several epidemiological studies we learn that this dermatological disease affects 0.5% to 1% of the world population, or 70 million people.
This autoimmune pathology leads to loss of melanocytes, the cells involved in staining the skin.
“Vitiligo can occur at any time in life, regardless of age, skin color or geographic origin“, says the French Vitiligo Association.
There are various forms of vitiligo. If it spreads most often over the whole body, it can sometimes develop only on a well localized part (this is called segmental vitiligo). Living with this disease, although it is considered mild, has important consequences for patients’ quality of life, including stigma and discomfort in exposing depigmented body parts to others.
Effective treatments for depigmentation of the face
In recent years, a better understanding of the disease has made it possible to develop effective treatments, in particular phototherapy (laser, UVB lamp) combined with the application of dermocorticoid creams or some melanocyte transplants for people affected by segmental vitiligo. When applied to the face, treatments for generalized vitiligo allow effective repigmentation of the face, but with a delay extending 6 to 24 months to obtain convincing results.
A new treatment track presented at the world dermatology congress in June 2019 by American scientists, however, suggests the path of faster treatment for non-segmental vitiligo. Developed in form cream from the ruxolitinib molecule, this treatment allowed a repigmentation of the face in approximately 50% of the patients tested after six months.
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