Vitiligo surgery is a treatment option used for stable vitiligo, where medical therapies like creams or phototherapy do not give sufficient results. It aims to restore skin color by transferring pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) from normal skin to depigmented white patches.
This procedure is usually recommended only when vitiligo is stable, meaning there is no new spread or change in existing patches for a certain period. Common surgical techniques include skin grafting, melanocyte transfer, and suction blister grafting.
In these procedures, healthy skin from a pigmented area is taken and processed or directly transplanted onto the white patches. The transplanted melanocytes help produce melanin, gradually restoring color in the affected area, often with the help of post-procedure phototherapy.
Vitiligo surgery is generally safe when performed by an experienced dermatologist, and results vary depending on the patient, location of patches, and stability of the disease.