The patient is then exposed to UVA, a. form of ultraviolet light. In practice, the required drug is prescribed to the patient who is asked to expose the body to sunlight. The therapy lasts for a few minutes and is performed twice a week. Some surgeons also offer re-pigmentation surgery. PUVA is contraindicated in the very young and the very fair skinned.
Depigmentation is useful in dark skinned patients.
In cases where depigmentation is to be employed, the lesions affect large areas of the exposed parts of the body. A monobenzyl ether of hydroquinone is used in a cream. It produces permanent results. The surrounding skin then blends with the vitiligo affected areas. Topical steroid therapy may reverse the process if applied for a few weeks in the initial stages of the vitiligo lesions.