Hello,
The treatment duration, as well as treatment options, may vary slightly depending on the area affected by vitiligo.
The treatment of vitiligo tends to follow a few general principles and chiefly depends on phototherapy in order to achieve repigmentation. At the same time, it is well established that certain areas of the body respond differently to phototherapy, with the face and neck regions being the most responsive, and the fingers and toes being the least responsive. As a rule of thumb, I advise my patients that the further one gets from the face, the slower one can expect to respond to phototherapy.
In addition, part of treatment is also dependent on the use of creams to suppress inflammation/immune activity and can be achieved through steroidal or non-steroidal creams. Depending on the relative thickness of the skin and accounting for certain sensitive areas (such as around the eyes or the genitals), your doctor may advise on the use of different types of creams for this purpose. For instance, steroid creams tend to be avoided for treatment of vitiligo on the face and especially around the eyes.
Hope that this answers the question!
Best Regards
Dr Christopher Lim
