Advances in Vitiligo: An Update on Medical and Surgical Treatments.

Vitiligo is one of the most common cutaneous disorders of depigmentation. Although its underlying causes are still being studied and no definitive cure currently exists, recent research has provided insight into pathogenic mechanisms and new treatment options. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the medical and surgical therapies for vitiligo with emphasis on the most recent treatment modalities. This review was conducted through a literature search using PubMed and the National institutes of Health's clinicalTrials.gov databases from January 2010 to July 2015. This yielded 86 studies, 12 of which were excluded, and 74 of which were reviewed. Recent studies and ongoing clinical trials indicate that there are many promising new medical and surgical treatment modalities for this chronic condition. A combination of traditional and newer treatments may work synergistically to provide additional improvement in patients' disease state and quality of life.