Manage vitiligo with a personalised approach: consider old and new treatments

Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition that causes loss of skin colour. For many years it has been managed using treatments that simply dampen immune and inflammatory responses, including topical corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors, oral corticosteroids and phototherapy. Ongoing research, however, is helping to uncover what drives the development of vitiligo and identify potential new treatment targets. The Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription signalling pathway has been identified as playing an important role in vitiligo, leading to the approval of the first US FDA-approved treatment for the repigmentation of non-segmental vitiligo, a JAK1/2 inhibitor called ruxolitinib 1.5% cream.