A Comparative Study of Microneedling Combined with Topical 5-Fluorouracil versus Microneedling Alone in Treatment of Localized Stable Vitiligo

CONTEXT: Vitiligo is an acquired pigmentary disorder of the skin that is characterized by circumscribed, depigmented macules, and patches. AIMS: To compare the therapeutic efficacy and safety of microneedling combined with topical 5-fluorouracil solution versus microneedling alone on stable patches of vitiligo. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Hospital-based interventional prospective study. METHODS AND MATERIAL: We selected 46 patients in the age group of 10–50 years having patch stability of at least 1-year duration. The patients were randomly assigned into two groups of 23 patients each. Group A was treated with microneedling followed by application of 5-fluorouracil which was available in the form of a solution (50 mg/mL) whereas Group B was treated with microneedling alone. The procedure was repeated after every 15 days up to 4 months and patient follow-up along with the grading of repigmentation was done till 6 months. The side effects were noted. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 25.0. The results were analyzed using the Chi-square test and t-test and P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: At the end of 6 months, excellent response (>75% repigmentation) was reported in 35 patches (48.6%) in Group A treated with microneedling combined with 5-fluorouracil whereas only 12 patches (16.9%) showed an excellent response in Group B treated with microneedling alone. CONCLUSIONS: Combining microneedling with 5-fluorouracil is a simple, safe, well tolerable, and effective modality than microneedling alone for treating small localized vitiligo patches.