Dermal Grafts
A skin graft is one of the surgical procedures in which healthy skin is removed from an unaffected region of the body and used to cover a damaged or missing area of skin. In the treatment of vitiligo, a skin graft can be used to conceal a white skin region. In addition, adults may benefit from skin grafts to improve the appearance of affected areas if:
The white regions have not gotten worse over the past year.
There is no vitiligo-related skin injury trigger, such as severe sunburn.
No new white regions have appeared within the past year.
As an alternative to skin grafting, melanocytes can be extracted from a skin sample and transplanted to vitiligo-affected areas using a sample of skin. Although these treatments are time-consuming, not appropriate for children, and bear the risk of scarring. In addition, they are not widely available in the United Kingdom.
