07/21/2022
Many patients believe that phototherapy is effective only if the vitiligo turns red,So after phototherapy, they will always observe the locations just being irradiated,so if the vitiligo fails to turns red,does it means the therapy has no effects?
Whether the effect of phototherapy can not be simply judged by whether the white spots are turning red. The skin sensitivity of each patient is different, and the response after phototherapy treatment is also different.
First of all, this operation is not completely groundless, observing the skin damage is the most observable method, but it is not suitable for everyone.
Whether vitiligo turns red after light treatment is related to many factors, such as:
1、Different sensitivity in different parts
Torso> upper arm / femoral / face / neck> distal extremities.Hand, foot, knee and elbow parts are not easy to turn red with irradiation
2、 colour of skin
Deeper skin tone, lower sensitivity
3 Seaon
High sensitivity from late winter to early summer and low sensitivity from late summer to early winter
4.Other reasons
Age, medication, occupation, etc., will affect the sensitivity of the skin
The general thinking is that erythema appears means effective, and not able to see erythema means therapy effect is not good, this is not scientific.vitiligo on Such parts as hands and feet belong to difficult to treat , can be used along with some photosensitizers, and stick to continuous treatment
The reaction of white spot showing redness is mainly to help us determine whether the irradiation time is appropriate, one should not judge the effect only by checking whether skin damage turning red , but the recovery of melanin in the white spot.
Vitiligo patients can observe whether there is an increase in melanin by observing via wood lamp, and observe the effect of phototherapy at any time at home.