Elisabeth Manville
May 30, 2012

Skin transplant effective for patients with vitiligo

A skin transplant surgery has been proven safe and effective for restoring skin pigmentation in patients with vitiligo, according to a new study. Researchers followed 23 patients up to six months after surgery and found that they regained an average of 43 percent of their natural skin color in treated patches. In patients with localized vitiligo, the average was 68 percent. The surgery, called melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation, or MKTP, involves harvesting pigment-producing melanocyte cells from healthy skin and applying a skin cell mixture to the disease-affected areas. Vitiligo is a skin disease that causes the skin to lose color and develop white patches that vary in size and location. “We believe this new treatment option offers hope to patients of color and those with vitiligo on one side of the body or in one area of the body,” principal investigator ltefat Hamzavi said.

Related Articles
Ann Conkle
Apr 13, 2012
Immune discovery could help to develop drugs for organ transplant and cancer patients
Loyola University researchers are reporting surprising findings about an immune system regulating molecule. In the immune system, effector cells attack... Read More
Ann Conkle
Apr 26, 2012
One kidney transplanted twice in two weeks
For the first time, a kidney that had been donated to one patient was removed and implanted into a new... Read More
Mending a broken heart with stem cells and microRNAs
Just like a deep wound causes a scar to form on the skin’s surface, the damage sustained during a heart... Read More