Heal House Vitiligo Research 35 · Original Article
Can vitiligo lesions be seen more accurately with a special ultraviolet camera?
Ultraviolet photography in vitiligo: image quality, validity and reliability.
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In short
When vitiligo lesions were photographed with a special ultraviolet camera, the image quality was much better than with a regular camera. Measuring lesion size was also accurate and consistent.
Vitiligo is a condition that improves or worsens over months or years. Therefore, accurately measuring how much the lesions have changed is very important. However, standard cameras cannot properly capture faint lesions that become clear only under ultraviolet light. This study is an international collaboration I conducted with researchers from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It validated how much more accurately and consistently a special ultraviolet camera captures vitiligo lesions.
Q1 How is a UV special camera better than a regular camera?
The image quality was incomparably better. A total of 31 lesions from 17 vitiligo patients were photographed with both cameras, and experts evaluated the image quality. The ultraviolet special camera received a rating of "good" or "very good" for 100% of the images, whereas the regular camera received such ratings for only 26%. Under ultraviolet light, depigmented areas appear more distinct than the surrounding skin. This allows even lesion borders that are blurry to the naked eye or in regular photographs to be captured clearly. The clearer the lesion is captured, the more accurately changes in size can be tracked, which greatly helps in evaluating treatment outcomes.
Q2 Is that measurement reliable?
Yes, the consistency of the measurements was nearly perfect. When compared with other methods of measuring lesion size, the agreement score exceeded 0.98. Whether the same physician measured repeatedly or different physicians measured, the results were almost identical (0.999 and 0.998, respectively). A score closer to 1 means "the same value is obtained regardless of who measures or when." This indicates that it is a tool reliable enough for both research and clinical use. You can see that all the numbers in the table below are very close to 1.
Reliability of ultraviolet photography measurements (closer to 1 indicates greater consistency)
| Item | Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) | In simple terms |
|---|---|---|
| Agreement with other measurement methods | 0.984 | Nearly perfect agreement |
| Same physician repeated measurements | 0.999 | Nearly perfect agreement |
| Measurements between different physicians | 0.998 | Nearly perfect agreement |
Closing remarks
This study, in which I participated with an international research team, elevates the standard for photographic evaluation of vitiligo. It confirms that ultraviolet photography is not merely "better visualization" but a scientifically reliable measurement tool. It provides a solid foundation for multicenter studies and treatment efficacy assessments. For me, it also adds one more tool to show patients their changes more accurately.
