Treatment for depigmentation resulting from burn injuries.

A new surgical technique to "repigment" skin that has been depigmented by deep partial-thickness burn injuries has been developed and proven to be successful. Partial-thickness burn injuries frequently heal with pigmentary changes. Occasionally, permanent depigmentation is observed, especially in areas such as the hands and fingers. This article reports our surgical technique and our success in using it to treat depigmentation after burn injuries. This new technique consists of superficial dermabrasion of the depigmented region, followed by transplantation of melanocytes via epithelial grafts. With this technique, 15 separate surgical procedures have been performed on 11 patients. The follow-up period for these patients has ranged from 0.5 months to 94 months, with an average of 14 months. The skin-graft take has been excellent in all patients. The color match ranges from good to excellent. No complications have been observed, and this procedure has consistently and reliably improved the disfigurement from depigmentation after these burn injuries.