British Association of Dermatologists press release
Vitiligo is a condition in which areas of skin lose their normal pigment and so become white. It is common, and affects about one in every hundred people. It is of particular concern in people with darker skins. Current treatments include corticosteroids applied to the skin, and phototherapy using UV radiation (UVR) to re-pigment the skin. Both, however, carry possible long-term side effects and are not always effective. In particular, less than a quarter of patients respond successfully to corticosteroids, while UVR causes a re-pigmentation that is spotted and patchy and in the long-term could lead to a higher risk of skin cancer.
Antony Young, Professor of Experimental Photobiology in the Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine at St John’s Institute of Dermatology, King’s College London, and one of the study’s authors, said: ‘We have shown that topical treatment with piperine stimulates even pigmentation in the skin. Combining this with UVR significantly enhances the pigmentation with results that are cosmetically better than conventional vitiligo therapies. This provides strong support for the future clinical evaluation of piperine and its derivatives as novel treatments for vitiligo.’
Long term effects
The researchers found that for skin treated with a piperine compound, just four exposures of UVR were sufficient to significantly darken the skin. However, when using UVR alone, more than 10 exposures were needed to produce a similar but less even response. The results also took longer to fade in those treated with both a piperine compound and UVR, and did not disappear completely. By contrast, there was no remaining detectable pigmentation within the same timeframe for skin treated only with UVR. Additionally, when treatment was resumed, results were noticeable faster in the group treated with piperine compounds. The team believe that their remarkable findings are due to piperine stimulating the production of the skin’s pigment cells, called melanocytes.
Nina Goad of the British Association of Dermatologists said: ‘These findings could potentially lead to the development of treatments that not only provide improved results, but could also reduce the need for UV radiation in vitiligo treatment, in turn lowering the risk of skin cancer. Vitiligo is a highly visible disease that can greatly affect patients psychologically and emotionally. Any breakthrough in treatments of this disease is most welcome.’
Source: By King's College London
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