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Mini-punch grafting, hair follicle transplantation had similar efficacy in treating vitiligo

Hair follicle transplantation and mini-punch grafting did not significantly differ in efficacy in the treatment of patients with resistant and stable vitiligo patches, according to recent study results.

Researchers studied 25 patients with refractory, non-segmental vitiligo (mean age, 26.7 years; 21 women) between May 2012 and May 2013 in a hospital outpatient department in Ahvaz, Iran. Twenty percent of patients had Fitzpatrick skin type II, 52% had type III and 28% had type IV. A resistant vitiligo patch on each patient was divided into two equal parts, half treated with hair follicle transplantation and half with mini-punch grafting. The wrist (40%) and elbow (16%) were the most common sites of grafting.

Exposure to narrowband ultraviolet B twice a week for 6 weeks occurred post-surgically in the recipient areas. Monthly measurements were taken of the repigmentation around each graft.

Sixty-eight percent of follicle grafts and 72% of mini-punch grafts had repigmentation at the end of 6 months. The mean diameter of repigmentation was 5 ± 1.7 mm for follicle graft treatments and 5.3 ± 1.6 mm for mini-punch grafts. The two treatments showed no statistically significant difference (P=.18).

Study limitations included a small sample size and short follow-up time, according to the researchers.

“Because the results of the two methods are not statistically different, and mini-punch grafting is much easier than follicular transplantation, we recommend mini-punch grafting for treating drug-resistant vitiligo,” the researchers concluded.

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.