Fractional carbon dioxide laser as an “add-on” treatment for vitiligo: A meta-analysis with systematic review

Treatment of vitiligo is challenging and requires a multidisciplinary approach. Fractional carbon dioxide (CO₂) laser as an add-on to conventional treatment has been reported to be effective, but there is no consensus on its use. A systematic review was performed by searching major databases for relevant publications to February 2017. Six studies with 85 participants were included. For those with refractory vitiligo, the addition of fractional CO₂ laser to routine treatment modalities was superior to conventional treatment alone in terms of > 50% re-pigmentation (risk ratio (RR) 4.90, 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.15– 20.93; p = 0.03), physician improvement score (mean difference (MD) 0.81, 95% CI 0.33–1.29; p < 0.001), < 25% re-pigmentation (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.49–0.85; p=0.002) and patient satisfaction (MD 1.61, 95% CI 0.73–2.49; p < 0.001). Side-effects were minor. These results provide evidence supporting that fractional CO₂ laser is a valuable treatment modality for patients with vitiligo, especially for those with refractory vitiligo.