Survey of dermatologists' phototherapy practices for vitiligo

The details of phototherapy practices for vitiligo have been rarely studied.

To explore the details of phototherapy practices for vitiligo among dermatologists.

A self-administered questionnaire about the details of phototherapy practices for vitiligo was distributed to all dermatologists attending a national general dermatology conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2008.

Questionnaires were returned by 121 of 140 participants (response rate = 86.4%). The mean age of the respondents was 39.34 ± 9.7 years, and 65% were males. One hundred eight of 110 (98.2%) respondents provided phototherapy to their vitiligo patients. The mean number of vitiligo patients who underwent phototherapy each week per dermatologist's office was 18 ± 2.26. Narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) was the most common modality chosen to treat generalized vitiligo (84%). Excimer laser was the most common modality used to treat focal and segmental vitiligo (53% and 39%, respectively). Sixty-eight percent of dermatologists administered a fixed starting dose of NB-UVB to all patients, whereas 31% used the minimal erythema dose as a guide. Fifty percent reported that NB-UVB resulted in better color matching with the surrounding skin. Thirty-seven percent favored NB-UVB over psoralen + ultraviolet A for a faster response, and 31% preferred NB-UVB for a pigmentation that is more durable. Forty-seven percent (50/106) of the respondents limited the number of phototherapy sessions to reduce the risks of skin cancer. However, no respondent reported any skin cancer incidence in phototherapy-treated vitiligo patients.

There is a need for phototherapy guidelines for the treatment of vitiligo in patients with skin of color.