Sectioned hair follicle transplantation for the treatment of stable vitiligo in hair-bearing areas / 中华皮肤科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of sectioned hair follicle transplantation in the treatment of stable vitiligo in hair-bearing areas.Methods:A total of 10 patients with stable vitiligo aged 19-28 years (including 4 males and 6 females) were enrolled from Department of Dermatology, The Third People′s Hospital of Hangzhou between December 2016 and December 2018. Among the 10 patients, a total of 26 white patches accompanied by leukotrichia received sectioned hair follicle transplantation, including 18 on the scalp and 8 on the eyebrow. Hair follicles were obtained from the occipital and postauricular regions by follicular unit extraction, and divided into the upper and lower portions. Each white patch with leukotrichia was divided into 2 regions, and the 2 portions of the hair follicle were transplanted into the 2 regions of lesions respectively. The patients were followed up once every 4 weeks after grafting, and repigmentation and hair growth were evaluated.Results:At 12 weeks, of the 26 white patches transplanted with the upper hair follicles, 3 were cured, 5 were markedly improved, 12 were improved, and 6 showed no response; the response rate was 30.8% (8/26) , and no hair grew on the transplantation sites. Of the 26 lesions transplanted with the lower hair follicles, 5 were cured, 7 were markedly improved, 11 were improved, and 3 showed no response; the response rate was 46.2% (12/26) , and hair growth was observed on 8 lesions. There was no significant difference in the response rate between the upper hair follicle transplantation group and lower hair follicle transplantation group ( χ2 = 1.30, P = 0.25) . Conclusion:Sectioned hair follicle transplantation is suitable for the treatment of vitiligo complicated by leukotrichia on the scalp and eyebrow.