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Author Spotlight: Non-Surgical Treatment of Melasma– Microneedling with Tranexamic Acid
Published on: January 19, 2024
Combined microneedling with tacrolimus vs tacrolimus monotherapy for vitiligo treatment
Howyda M Ebrahim1, Reham Elkot1, Waleed Albalate1
1Department of Dermatology, venereology and Andrology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
Background:
Miconeedling has been used to augment the transdermal drug delivery. Combination modalities may accelerate and improve the repigmentation in vitiligo.
Objective:
To determine the efficacy and tolerability of combined microneedling with tacrolimus vs tacrolimus 0.1% ointment for the treatment of vitiligo.
Patients And Method:
Forty-eight patients with vitiligo were randomized into two groups: group I applied tacrolimus once daily for 6 months. Group II received microneedling with topical tacrolimus at 2 weeks intervals for a maximum of 6 months. The assessment was based on the clinical improvement and immunohistochemical changes. Skin biopsies were taken at baseline and after the treatment for c-kit + expression.
Results:
After treatment, the repigmentation >75% was observed in 50% of the patients in group II compared to 29.2% in group I (p .02). There was an earlier response in group II than in group I (p .002). The improvement was significantly higher in the legs and extremities in group II than in group I (0.003). The immunohistochemical results showed significantly higher expression of c-kit in group II than group I (p .01). No severe side effects were reported.
Conclusion:
The results suggest the superiority of the combination regimen (tacrolimus and microneedling) for vitiligo treatment.
