Carbon dioxide laser plus topical 5-fluorouracil: a new combination therapeutic modality for acral vitiligo

Acral vitiligo (AV) is resistant to treatment.

To evaluate efficacy and safety of combining carbon dioxide (CO2) laser and 5-fluorouracil (5FU) in treating AV.

This study included 68 adult patients with AV. After randomly assigning patients into 3 groups, patients in group I were treated using 5FU, group II were treated using CO2 laser, and group III were treated using CO2 laser followed by 5FU for a maximum period of 5 months. The lesions were then evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Almost half (49.8%) of the lesions in group III achieved G4, and 6.1% of lesions achieved G3 re-pigmentation. This response was statistically significantly higher than that in the other two groups. This was not achieved in periungual areas in the hands and feet. The pain was tolerable during sessions or at sites of 5FU application. Transient hyperpigmentation, brownish spot on nail plates, itching, and infection were temporary side effects; however, Koebnerization was not detected.

We concluded that prior use of CO2 laser skin ablation, followed by 5FU application for AV is a safe and tolerable technique that improves the outcome and increases patient compliance.