The effectiveness of combination therapy with 308‐nm excimer laser in vitiligo in Han Chinese People

Electrocautery Needling and the 308-nm Excimer Lamp: A Synergistic Combination for the Treatment of Stable Non-segmental Vitiligo

“…The 308-nm excimer lamp was first used to treat vitiligo in 2003, at which time it demonstrated clinical efficacy [ 13 ]. Since then, many trials have utilized the lamp for the treatment of vitiligo as monotherapy and as part of combination therapy regimens [ 14 – 16 ]. Different results have been reported in different ethnic populations.…”

Treatment protocols and efficacy of combined laser with medical treatment modalities in vitiligo

“…Three RCTs demonstrated significantly higher excellent RR in combination therapy group compared to monotherapy group with MEL/EL, 9,13,14 . They revealed favorable effect of combination of MEL/EL with TCS in UV‐sensitive areas especially refractory lesions of face and neck 13,14 . Other study found no difference with adding TCS to MEL/EL; however, combination therapy indicated faster RR along with lower cumulative UV dose compared to monotherapy group in facial vitiligo 15 …”

“…Darker skin phototypes have superior improvement along with more postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) rate compared to lighter skin phototypes 2–43 . Combination of laser with other medical modalities leads to faster RR, higher efficacy, lower relapse rate, and better compliance in patients with localized non‐segmental type of vitiligo, though this combination has superior efficacy on both UV‐sensitive and UV‐resistant (acral and bony prominence) areas compared to monotherapy; however, UV‐sensitive areas revealed significantly favorable regimentation rate compared to UV‐resistant areas 2–43 . Moreover, UV‐resistant areas might need longer duration of treatment than UV‐sensitive areas in order to achieve favorable outcome (one year or longer versus 6 months, respectively) 2–43 …”

“…Based on researched articles, combination of MEL/EL with TCS or TCI is suggested as induction therapy especially in UV‐sensitive areas that are recalcitrant to first‐line treatment or in low‐compliance patients. Combined MEL/EL with topical vitamin D analogues had lower RR with less conclusive results compared to other topical therapies 2–26 . There were only three studies evaluating efficacy of topical or oral anti‐oxidative materials combined with MEL/EL with promising results 12,24,25 .…”

“…Ablative resurfacing lasers (ARLs) including CO 2 and Er:YAG lead to better delivery of topical drug and stimulate migration of melanocytes from peripheral rim and follicular unites into depigmented areas. Previous studies suggest that combination therapy can provide higher efficacy, faster response rate (RR), lower side effects, and high degree of patients’ satisfaction and higher compliance of patients to treatment 2–43 . In this article, we reviewed research articles regarding safety, efficacy, and treatment protocols of combined laser with other medical modalities.…”