Hair Transplantation for Treatment of Vitiligo

Vitiligo Clinical Trial

Official title: Autologous Transplantation of Hair Follicles for the Treatment of Vitiligo on Glabrous Skin

Status Withdrawn

Clinical Trial Summary

There are several surgical methods to treat vitiligo patches, and follicular unit extraction (FUE) is one among them. FUE, performed using punch biopsy extraction and hair follicle transplantation, has proven safe and effective in multiple studies for treatment of hair bearing (non-glabrous) skin. This technique has not yet been trialed on hairless areas (glabrous skin) affected by vitiligo, such as the lips, fingertips, knuckles, wrists, and feet, which tend to be resistant to standard treatments. We suspect this technique will be successful in patients who have responded well to other therapies in all areas except for non-hair bearing areas.

Clinical Trial Description

Vitiligo is an autoimmune skin condition that can have a profound psychosocial impact on patients. Vitiligo is caused by an immune-mediated destruction of melanocytes, or the cells responsible for producing melanin, which gives the skin its pigment. There are safe and effective treatments for vitiligo, which should be selected based on disease subtype, the percentage of body surface area involved, patient preference, and the impact of the disease on a patient's quality of life. Treatment aims to stabilize depigmented lesions, reduce disease progression and stimulate repigmentation. The current therapies available include topical and systemic immunosuppressants, phototherapy and surgical techniques.

The autologous transplantation of hair follicles has the ability to treat hairless areas by introducing follicular stem cells to an area of skin that would otherwise not respond to current treatment options. The potential to treat glabrous areas is of particular relevance for this technique, and the question proposed in this study is whether the same procedure of follicular hair transplant that has been previously safely and successfully used to treat segmental/stable vitiligo in hair bearing areas can applied to treat vitiligo in glabrous skin. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Vitiligo

• NCT number: NCT04858152
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: University of Massachusetts, Worcester
• Status: Withdrawn
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: August 1, 2021
• Completion date: August 15, 2023