• Vitiligo involves paler, less-pigmented skin patchesGetty Images Vitiligo involves paler, less-pigmented skin patches Getty Images A first-of-its-kind cream that targets the underlying cause of vitiligo will be made available on the National Health Service in England. • In clinical trials, the cream significantly increased pigmentation in the white skin patches caused by the condition, but the treatmenthas previously been described as controversial, as vitiligo isn’t painful or dangerous. • “Usually, people [with vitiligo] are asymptomatic in terms of physical symptoms, but it can cause a lot of emotional hardship,” saysDavid Rosmarinat Indiana University, who led two trials of the new ruxolitinib cream treatment. • The cream, which is already available in the US, is sold under the name Opzelura. • It treats non-segmental vitiligo, which occurs when symmetrical white patches appear on both sides of the body. • This is thought to be caused by the immune system attacking melanocytes, the cells that make the pigment melanin, which gives skin colour.

Article Summaries:

  • A first-of-its-kind cream that targets the underlying cause of vitiligo will be made available on the National Health Service in England. In clinical trials, the cream significantly increased pigmentation in the white skin patches caused by the condition, but the treatment has previously been described as controversial, as vitiligo isn’t painful or dangerous. “Usually, people [with vitiligo] are asymptomatic in terms of physical symptoms, but it can cause a lot of emotional hardship,” says David Rosmarin at Indiana University, who led two trials of the new ruxolitinib cream treatment. The crea

Sources: