Emerging Surgical Therapies for Vitiligo: Tissue vs Cell-Based Approaches

Vitiligo is a common dermatologic condition characterized by skin depigmentation. The current spectrum of treatments includes topical and systemic therapies, phototherapy, and surgical options. Recent years have witnessed notable advancements in surgical techniques, which are broadly categorized into tissue grafting and cell transplantation. Tissue grafting methods include follicular unit grafting, suction blister epidermal grafting, and thin split-thickness skin grafts. Cell transplantation techniques involve the use of autologous cultured melanocytes, non-cultured epidermal cell suspensions, and non-cultured cell suspensions from hair follicle outer root sheaths. To enhance surgical efficacy, future studies should aim to uncover the therapeutic mechanisms and identify relevant biomarkers.