Hi I have been using protopic on my hands now for 3 months. I have vitilgo on the dorsals of my fingers on both hands. Could anyone tell me how long I should use the cream for and when to stop. So far I have seen no re-pigmentation. I am not sure if I should be using a UVB lamp with the cream or expose my hands to the sun for a few minutes daily as my dermatologist did not say although he said that hands were very difficult to treat and did not hold much hope with the protopic. I have also looked into the cream pseudocatalase but it is very hard to obtain here in England. Any information appreciated on this and can some one tell me about coconut cream for treatment.
I don't want to continue with this cream if its a waste of time and rather try something else. As I am new to this site some of you out there may know more than me.
Replies
The standard course of action with my Derm and Vitiligo is to use steroid cream with N-UVB. According to Doc using N-UVB spectrum greatly reduces the chances of skin cancer as opposed to tanning beds or the sun. It also tends to tan the adjacent normal skin less, so the contrast is not as great. Don't forget, our vit patches have absolutely no protection from the harmful rays of the sun. I will scan and post the printout I received from the pharmacist about Protopic on my group page Canadian Vitiligo Friends.....it contains a bunch of info like warnings, uses, side effects, etc. THIS SHOULD NOT REPLACE ACTUALLY SEEING A DERM AND GETTING A PROPER CONSULTATION. I post it strictly for information purposes. In Canada whenever someone goes to the pharmacist to fill a prescription they have to give one of these printout information sheets.
hello generally can not heal the spots on the hands. I also used the Protopic on my face for 3 months and I have very good result
I follow the treatment now consists of three creams; vitilistop, vitiskin and Protopic. I still use the meladinine tablets, and finally diprostène (injection) is very important because it stops the progression of vitiligo
Protopic should be used the with sun exposure
Hello Amis thanks for the information. I have never heard of the Diprostene Injection, could you give me some more information on this please.
What your doctor say is unfortunately true. Protopic is best for vitiligo on the face. But for some - it has helped in other areas too. But since you have used it only for 3 months - you can try for another 3 months and see if it helps. Some doctors say to alternate between Protopic and a mild steroid cream. You can find out about it from your doctor. UVB lamp / natural sunlight early morning is good for us as well.
Thank you Nadika and Grace for the information, unfortunately my dermatologist is of the opinion that Vitilogo is very much a live with it condition and to just try the protopic and goodby never to be seen again, so I don't think I will be going back to see my dermatologist and will try this treatment and if it does not work I will look into other possibilities. Thank you both for the quick response, I will look into purchasing a UVB lamp as here in England we do not get a good amount of sunshine.