9 things vitiligo patients need to know about excimer lasers!

1. Normally, excimer laser treatment for vitiligo can be performed in a doctor's office. First, the doctor determines the best dosage level for the patient. This is followed by a technician placing a hand piece on the vitiligo affected patch and getting started with the laser procedure. In most cases, the treatment takes take from a few minutes to half and hour’s time.


2. In most cases, vitiligo patients experience no pain or discomfort during or after the treatment. Only a very few patients can feel slight warmth just after the treatment. This subsides in a short while. No anesthesia is needed for an excimer laser treatment for treating vitiligo.


3. The number of sessions required depends on the severity of the condition and varies for patient to patient. Your laser specialist will chart out a plan for you depending upon the degree of depigmentation, location of the patches etc. A minimum of 2 session a week is what you will start with normally.


4. There is no set preparation that you need to do for this treatment. All you got to do is ensure that the skin to be treated is clean, dry, free from makeup or creams containing SPF protection.


5. One can experience minimal side effects like redness at the treated site. But, in most cases, patients do not report any side effects after the treatment. Serious side effects include blistering and hyper-pigmentation. But, these again are rare and short-lived.


6. During the procedure, you must wear eye protection provided by the clinician in order to keep your eyes safe and secure. After the laser procedure, you can treat your skin normally and can apply any medication, cream or lotion freely.


7. You should not stop your medication unless advised by the doctor. Always keep the treated areas free from excessive sun exposure while you are in between your treatment sessions. Excessive sun exposure or no protection from the sun can cause sunburn or prolonged skin sensitivity.


8. Keep a watch on your skin – check for blistering, redness or any other visible change on the treated area and see how long does it take to vanish. Discuss these with your laser specialist in order to make him/her understand your situation and recovery process better.

Dr. Tavinder Thakur, our Co-founder is a laser specialist at Ojasvi Skin Solution in Meerut. If you wish to consult her for a suitable vitiligo treatment for you, then log on to ojasviclinic.com or call at 9319073546, now!