Introduction to vitiligo surgical treatment
It has been estimated that approximately 1% of the globe’s population is affected by vitiligo. What is vitiligo, anyway? Put simply, it is a medical condition in which the pigment is lost from various areas of the skin. What happens is that the melanocytes (melanin-producing cells) are destroyed and depigmentation occurs. Needless to say, vitiligo is annoying. Sitting in the sun is a real nightmare as you are more vulnerable to sun damage. Vitiligo is not a terrible illness, but that does not mean that it is less serious. Drugs are not able to put a stop to the progression of vitiligo. However, surgical treatments, like sin and cellular grafts, have proven to be successful in patients with stable vitiligo, significantly improving the appearance of the skin.
Tissue and cellular grafts in vitiligo surgery
In the last decades, grafting procedures in vitiligo have become commonplace. The surgical techniques that have been introduced have had a high success rate in terms of providing good color and texture to the surrounding skin, achieving complete re-pigmentation. Grafting techniques fall into two categories: tissue and cellular grafts. The aim of the surgical procedures is to treat vitiligo. Tissue grafting and cellular grafting entail the transference of whole grafts onto the affected area, resulting in skin development. The main problem is that surgery is an unimplemented procedure. Why is that? Well, not that many people know that this kind of vitiligo treatment is available.
Grafting of melanocyte-rich tissues
Tissue grafting has been successfully used in restoring pigment to the body parts affected by vitiligo for several years. Normal skin is utilized as donor tissue. The technique is minimally-invasive and the donor does not have any scars. Surgeons transplant the skin on the recipient site. As for the new skin, it immediately starts producing pigment, which deposits in the skin and the white blotches magically disappear. The grafting of melanocyte-rich tissue is used if the patient has small patches of vitiligo. It is possible to use vitiligo grafting in those who experience extensive skin discoloration. The patients can decide if they want to use grafts or not.
Grafting of melanocyte cells
Dermatologists in Switzerland have enhanced a technique to transplant epidermal cells that can repair the areas of the body affected by discoloration. The process is anything but painful. The cells required for the surgical transplant are harvested from a blister raised on the skin and then transferred to the discolored area. Patients who have undergone vitiligo transplantation have achieved up to 92% re-pigmentation within six months. Many experts say that cellular grafts offer the best results. People seeking to cope with the skin condition seek treatment in Switzerland because the experts there have access to the latest technologies. It is worth considering in any case.
Final considerations
The bottom line is that vitiligo can be managed with the help of surgical interventions. Experts have yet to find a cure for the skin condition, but there is hope that they will in the near future. Tissue grafts and cellular grafts are reasonably effective and they should be taken into consideration.