Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35176186›Full record

SynthesisJournal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV2022

The use of lasers in vitiligo, an overview.

N F Post, N Ezekwe, V S Narayan, M W Bekkenk, N Van Geel, I Hamzavi, T Passeron, A Wolkerstorfer

Open access · bronzeAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
3.0field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Vitiligo-Current Treatment Options and Future Perspectives.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Review
  3. Review
  4. Emerging Surgical Therapies for Vitiligo: Tissue vs Cell-Based Approaches.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2026
    Review
  5. Vitiligo.Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft = Journal of the German Society of Dermatology : JDDG · 2025
    Review
  6. Article
  7. Clinical efficacy of COFrontiers in medicine · 2024
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.

N F PostDepartment of Dermatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9165-0492
N EzekweDepartment of Dermatology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA.
V S NarayanDepartment of Dermatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4328-1132
M W BekkenkDepartment of Dermatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
N Van GeelDepartment of Dermatology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3249-8195
I HamzaviDepartment of Dermatology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA.
T PasseronDepartment of Dermatology and INSERM U1065, University Hospital of Nice, Nice, France.
A WolkerstorferDepartment of Dermatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Amsterdam University Medical Centers · NLHenry Ford Health System · USGhent University Hospital · BEInserm · FR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Various types of lasers have been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of vitiligo. The mode of action of these lasers is just as varied as the purpose of intervention. Many clinicians are not aware of the unique opportunity these lasers offer to improve the outcomes of vitiligo treatment. To date, no clear overview exists of the use of lasers in vitiligo treatment. Thus, the aim of this review is to discuss the various types of lasers and provide an overview of the evidence for their efficacy. We found good evidence from a systematic review that the excimer laser is effective, induces repigmentation rates comparable to NB-UVB and has improved outcomes when combined with calcineurin inhibitors. Ablative lasers are commonly used for tissue graft or melanocyte-keratinocyte cell graft transplantation. They provide safe, fast and uniform denudation of the epidermis with propitious repigmentation outcomes. We found conflicting evidence from two systematic reviews regarding the efficacy of fractional ablative lasers for improving outcomes of NB-UVB therapy, a systematic review including only fractional ablative lasers provided evidence for efficacy. Q-switched nanosecond lasers have shown to be safe and effective for inducing depigmentation, although recurrence is common, and most studies were small and retrospective. Despite proven efficacy and safety, laser treatments are relatively expensive and suited for limited body surface areas and selected cases. Each type of laser has benefits and risks associated and should, therefore, be individually chosen based on location, extent, activity and type of vitiligo.

Indexed as

Ultraviolet TherapyVitiligoCombined Modality TherapyHumansLasers, ExcimerRetrospective StudiesTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID35176186
PMCPMC9314124
OpenAlexW4213194308

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.