Heal House Vitiligo Research 34 · Letter
For vitiligo that does not heal well, does adding micropunch grafting to cell transplantation help?
Micropunch grafting as an adjuvant for noncultured melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation for refractory vitiligo.
Last reviewed
In short
We added micro-punch grafting as an auxiliary method to areas where cell transplantation was not effective. This method to increase the possibility of color return was introduced.
Vitiligo on the fingertips, tops of the feet, and bony areas is particularly difficult to treat. Even with cell transplantation, pigmentation sometimes does not take hold well. Cell transplantation is a good method in which the patient's pigment cells are finely ground and spread widely over the white patches. Still, there were times when we felt its limitations in these areas. I wanted to fill this gap. So I organized and reported a method of using micropunch grafting, which involves transplanting actual skin fragments, as an adjuvant together with cell transplantation.
Q1 Why add micropunch grafting to cell transplantation?
To increase the number of 'footholds' where pigment can settle in areas that do not heal well. Cell transplantation is a method in which pigment cells and keratinocytes are applied in a liquid form over a wide area. Therefore, in areas where absorption is poor, the cells may not settle sufficiently. When small skin fragments containing actual pigment cells are additionally implanted using a micropunch, these fragments act as seeds from which pigment spreads. Using both methods together compensates for each other's weaknesses. It can increase the possibility of repigmentation even in areas that previously did not heal well. This is a meaningful approach in that it provides room to try once more without giving up.
Closing remarks
For areas that are difficult to treat, rather than sticking to only one method, it is helpful to cleverly combine different methods. This report presents a practical method to improve the outcomes of cell transplantation in vitiligo that does not heal well. It also provides a basis to recommend a next attempt to those who have been disappointed because their condition did not improve well.
