Camouflage of Vitiligo by Medical Tattooing.

Vitiligo is an acquired skin depigmentation disorder that affects 0.5-2% of the world population. It is characterized by loss of the natural brown melanin pigment of the skin clinically manifested as few or many white patches on the skin and microscopically with the total absence of me-lanocytes in the epidermis. The change in appearance caused by vitiligo can affect persons' emotional and psychological well-being and may cause them to alter their lifestyle. The social complication of vitiligo depends on ethnicity and on geography and local opinion, which may deem vitiligo contagious. The aim of the medical tattooing procedure in vitiligo is to revert the white vitiligo patches to normal-looking skin of natural or near natural color through installation of brownish tattoo pigment. The coloring effect is not permanent and tends to fade over time, and repeated treatment may be needed after about a year. This chapter reviews vitiligo and indications, technique, and procedures associated with medical tattooing of the disease.