Simplification of noncultured epidermal cell suspension: A need of the hour

Context: Vitiligo is the most common acquired disorder of pigmentation. The treatment options for vitiligo are either medical or surgical modalities. Noncultured epidermal cellular grafting is an innovative surgical technique that can be used for the treatment of stable vitiligo. Aim: To evaluate the effect of noncultured epidermal cellular grafting in stable vitiligo utilizing normal saline as a trypsin inhibitor. Materials and Methods: Thirty-three patients with stable vitiligo for the past 2 years were recruited in the study. Noncultured epidermal cell suspension grafting was done with normal saline as trypsin inhibitor. Result: Out of 33 patients, maximum patients had focal vitiligo (21), followed by segmental (7) and generalized (5). Response was excellent in 7 patients (21%), good in 16 (48%), regular in 7 (21%), and poor in 3 patients. Thus, 23 (69%) patients had a satisfactory (excellent to good) response. Satisfactory pigmentation over trunk was seen in 83%, face and neck in 90%, and limbs in 57%. Three patients had lesions involving the fingertips and toes and only one of them had a good response with the other two patients showing a poor response. Conclusion: The noncultured epidermal cell suspension grafting is an effective surgical procedure for stable vitiligo patients. In this study, we have tried to simplify the procedure by utilizing only normal saline as a trypsin inhibitor.