CO2 laser + platelet-rich plasma promising treatment for vitiligo

Rania Abdelghani, M.D., from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, and colleagues randomly assigned 80 adult patients with localized non-segmental vitiligo to receive four treatment options: fractional CO₂ laser, PRP, combined fractional CO₂ laser and PRP, or combined fractional CO₂ laser and narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB)—all for two months.

The researchers found that the laser and PRP group achieved the best results for repigmentation and patient satisfaction, with 60 percent of the patients developing repigmentation of more than 50 percent, and 40 percent developing repigmentation of more than 75 percent. In the laser and NB-UVB group, 5 percent developed repigmentation over 75 percent, and 25 percent developed repigmentation over 50 percent. In the laser group, only 10 percent of patients developed repigmentation of more than 75 percent, as did only 20 percent in the PRP group.

“Combination of fractional CO₂ laser with PRP injection is a promising treatment for vitiligo, followed by combination of fractional CO₂ laser with NB-UVB phototherapy,” the authors write. “Both fractional CO₂ laser and PRP injection gave poor results if they [were] received alone.”