Living with vitiligo can be frustrating for patients whose plaques are visible on the face, hands, and other highly visible areas of the skin.  This is especially true for persons of color as there is greater contrast in the skin tones.  Though no cure has been developed for vitiligo, there are several treatments that offer varying degrees of success for patients.  Generally, the standard treatment for patients with less than 20% of the skin affected involves topical treatments like immunomodulators and corticosteroids.  immunomodulators  (a/k/a immunotherapy) is a drug that affects the patient’s immune system.  Since vitiligo is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system attacks the melanocytes, immunomodulators are designed to “calm” or suppress immune response against the skin’s melanocytes.  Immunomodulators are often used for treating vitiligo in children as well as around the eye area because dermatologists wish to avoid long-term exposure of children to corticosteroids, and corticosteroids around the eye area is not recommended due to risks for developing glaucoma.  Corticosteroids are another topical treatment for vitiligo that involves immune response and inflammatory response.  For patients who have significantly greater than 20% of the skin impacted by vitiligo, light therapy with an excimer laser is also an option that has shown considerable success with clearing in many patients.  West Houston Dermatology & Laser Skincare Center offers a myriad of treatments for vitiligo patients, including light therapy, and Dr. Stephen Mahoney is both a Houston area and national expert in treating vitiligo in pediatric and adult patients.