The Efficacy of Adding Topical 5-Fluorouracil to Microneedling in the Treatment of Vitiligo: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study compared the efficacy of micro-needling combined with topical 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) versus topical tacrolimus ointment in treating vitiligo patches in 19 participants. After 3 months, 32% of patches treated with micro-needling and 5-FU showed moderate to excellent improvement, significantly outperforming the tacrolimus-treated patches, which showed poor improvement. The treatment was more effective on the lower extremity and trunk than on the upper extremity and acral areas. However, patients with vitiligo for more than 10 years did not respond to treatment. Mild side effects were noted only in the micro-needling group. The study concluded that micro-needling with 5-FU was more effective than tacrolimus monotherapy, though further research was needed.