Topical tacrolimus and vitiligo: our experience in sixty cases

Aim. Vitiligo is an acquired hypomelanotic disorder characterized by circumscribed depigmented maculae on the skin. Current treatment procedures include narrow band UVB therapy, topical corticosteroids and imunomodulators. Aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of topical tacrolimus in the treatment of vitiligo. Methods. Sixty patients (44 females, 22 males) with stable vitiligo were enrolled in our study. They did not show any benefits from topical corticosteroids, PUVA and NB-UVB therapy, so they were administered topical tacrolimus 0.1% twice a day and followed-up for 9 months. Results. At least a partial repigmentation was noticed with tacrolimus ointment in 46 patients after 9 months of therapy. Twenty-three of them obtained a good repigmentation, already evaluable at 3 months from the beginning of therapy and remaining the same at 6 and 9 months, respectively. The other 23 patients obtained an excellent repigmentation, evaluable only at 9 months from the beginning of therapy, while a poor repigmentation was observed at 3 and 6 months. Two patients discontinued therapy because of side effects, while the remaining 12 had no repigmentation at all. Conclusion. Topical tacrolimus could be considered an effective and safe therapy for vitiligo, expecially for patients who had no benefits from corticosteroids and/or phototherapy.