Bimatoprost 0.03% Solution With NB-UVB Versus Their Use With Fractional Carbon Dioxide Laser in Treatment of Generalized Vitiligo

Overview

Vitiligo is a chronic disorder of pigmentation characterized by the development of white macules on the skin due to loss of epidermal melanocytes. It affects approximately 0.5%-2% of general population world-wide, without predilection for sex or race.Vitiligo can be classified into segmental or non-segmental. Non-segmental or generalized vitiligo is the most common clinical presentation and often involves the face and acral regions. Multiple monotherapy modalities are established to treat vitiligo but the response is variable, unsatisfactory, and requiring a prolonged course. This problem is exaggerated by the multifactorial and polygenic nature of the pathomechanism of the disease. These facts pave the way to combination therapy that showed better and safe repigmentation response than monotherapy.

Bimatoprost 0.03% ophthalmic solution is a synthetic prostaglandin F2 alpha analog that is approved for the treatment of glaucoma and eyelashes hypotrichosis (Lee et al, 2017). Cutaneous hyperpigmentation of the treated sites has been reported as a side effect with this agent. Phototherapy (narrow band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB)) of wavelength 308 nm, is considered as a successful method of treatment of vitiligo. The cytotoxic T-cells accountable for the destruction of melanocytes and disappearance of melanin are eliminated by phototherapy through apoptosis (diffuse repigmentation) and UVB does stimulate melanocytic proliferation and their migration to the epidermis from nearby follicular units (follicular repigmentation) and perilesional active melanocytes (marginal repigmentation). In recent years, fractional carbon dioxide laser has been introduced as an add-on treatment for vitiligo. It represents a new modality for skin resurfacing based on the theory of fractional photothermolysis. The beneficial effect of fractional carbon dioxide laser on vitiligo is the release of cytokines and growth factors that act as mitogens for melanogenesis. It also alters the skin barrier, which results in increased penetration of topical drugs and ultraviolet (UV) radiation, so it can be used in combination therapy.