title: The effectiveness of excimer laser on vitiligo treatment in comparison with a combination therapy of Excimer laser and tacrolimus in an Iranian population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Usage of 308-nm excimer laser (EL) is an effective treatment in vitiligo. As genetic predispositions along with type of skin and rate of sun exposure are known factors influencing the treatment outcomes, we tried to evaluate the treatment results of using 308 nm-excimer laser alone in comparison with the combined therapy of EL and topical tacrolimus in Iranian patients with vitiligo.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed the medical files of 150 patients with vitiligo who were referred to the Behsima Laser Center between April 2012 and April 2013. Seventy five patients who received combined therapy of 308 nm EL and topical tacrolimus three times a week entered the study. Seventy-five controls with matched characteristics and who received only EL were also selected. The amount of repigmentation was estimated by an expert dermatologist and was classified in 5 ranks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the case group, 33.3% (n: 25) showed 50-75% repigmentaion and 49.3% (n:37) had more than 75% response to therapy, whereas among the patients in the control group 29.3% (n: 22) showed no repigmentation and only 8% (n: 6) demonstrated more than 75% repigmentation response. The higher efficiency of the combination therapy on repigmentation was statistically significant (P: 0.006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study shows that Iranian patients with vitiligo who received a combined treatment course with 308-nm EL and tacrolimus 0.1% experienced significantly higher levels of repigmentation in comparison with laser therapy alone.
authors.affiliation: Brain and Spinal Injury Research Center (BASIR), Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran.
authors.forename: Marzieh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matin
authors.forename: Sahar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Latifi
authors.forename: Nasrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zoufan
authors.forename: Davood
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Koushki
authors.forename: Seyedeh Adeleh
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Mirjafari Daryasari
authors.forename: Fereshteh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rahdari
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000328:Adult; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003357:Cosmetic Techniques; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D054018:Lasers, Excimer; D028022:Low-Level Light Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014820:Vitiligo / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D016559:Tacrolimus
keywords: laser therapy; repigmentation; vitiligo