Bridging Molecular Mechanism and Clinical Practice in Vitiligo Treatment: An Updated Review.

Abstract

Background: Treatment of vitiligo seeks to achieve three goals: cessation of disease progression, regeneration of pigmentation, and prevention of recurrence.

Summary: Number of nonsurgical interventions are available that suppress the autoimmune response and regenerate the melanocytes from the reservoir: phototherapy including psoralen and ultraviolet A, narrowband ultraviolet B, and 308-nm excimer and 311-nm Titanium:Sapphire lasers; topical agents including topical calcineurin inhibitors, topical corticosteroids, and topical 5-fluorouracil; and systemic agents including corticosteorids, mycophenolate mofetil, cyclosporine, methotrexate, minocycline, afamelanotide, and antioxidants. In recent years, a great advance has been made in the understanding of pathogenesis of vitiligo, and JAK inhibitors are being investigated as a new treatment. Minimally invasive procedures such as fractional lasers or microneedling can help achieve the optimal treatment outcome when used properly.

Key messages: Our review describes various treatment modalities for vitiligo based on their molecular mechanism of action. Bridging the gap between molecular mechanisms and therapeutic options would be a valuable reference for physicians in clinical practice.