How we treat vitiligo

Because the therapy of vitiligo is long and tedious, often requiring twelve to eighteen months, one must first evaluate the intensity of the patient's desire for treatment. If a decision is made to treat the patient, the physician must then decide whether oral or topical therapy is indicated. If the area to be treated occupies less than 20 percent of the skin surface, topical therapy is best. If the afflicted area is greater than this, oral treatment is used. If 50 percent or more of the skin surface is vitiliginous, then depigmentation with monobenzone should be considered. Therapies and techniques available to the patient with vitiligo are presented herein.