Study - Inducing repigmentation by regrafting and phototherapy (311 nm) in punch grafting failure cases of lip vitiligo: A pilot study

BACKGROUND: Punch grafting followed by PUVA/PUVASOL is an established mode of therapy in vitiligo including that on the lips.
AIMS: To assess the efficacy of NB-UVB along with regrafting in patients in whom punch grafting had failed to evoke any response.
METHODS: Five patients with stable and isolated lip vitiligo in whom punch grafting and PUVA had failed to produce pigmentation were treated by regrafting and subsequent NB-UVB (311 nm) phototherapy.
RESULTS: Complete repigmentation was observed in three of the five cases after 16 weeks. In the remaining two, the results were mixed.
CONCLUSIONS: Stable lip vitiligo usually responds very well to punch grafting and PUVA/PUVASOL. In patients who fail to respond to this treatment, complete repigmentation following regrafting and NB-UVB is an observation that needs to be explained.