Combination of OmniLux and New Topical Successfully Treats Vitiligo

By Bob Kronemyer, Associate Editor

According to Gabrielle Serrano, M.D. of Valencia, Spain, the combination of a catalase compound and red LED light therapy is a “new and viable approach for the treatment of vitiligo that appears to be both safe and efficacious in a wide range of conditions.” Vitiligo is a common cutaneous disorder that has significant biological and social consequences to those affected. Vitiligo affects all races, with an average frequency of 0.5 - 4% of the population. Both sexes are affected equally and the disease may develop at any

age. The peak age of onset is between 10 and 30 years. Vitiligo appears typically as well-circumscribed milky white spots of varying sizes without any other discernable surface change of the skin.

Although vitiligo does not cause any physical discomfort _{Gabrielle Serrano, M.D.} or disability, it is associated

with devastating psychological and social consequences. Current treatments of vitiligo are unsatisfactory and in those who respond, the risk of relapse persists indefinitely. PhotoTherapeutics Ltd. (Manchester, U.K.) and SESDerma (Valencia, Spain) have collaborated to develop a new therapy combining Light-Emitting Diode (LED) red light at 633 nm (OmniLux from PhotoTherapeutics) with the application of a natural catalase / superoxide dismutase compound (SOD). This topical is VitiSES ointment from SESDerma.

A clinical study was conducted to optimize this combination light / topical cream treatment. The rationale was to normalize the low catalase levels associated with vitiligo using the natural catalase-SOD complex and red light at 633 nm in order to increase the degradation of hydrogen peroxide and to provide a substrate for tyrosinase, essential for melanogenesis. Red light causes the photo-stimulation of melanocytes, leading to their migration and proliferation in the vitiliginous skin. Additionally, red light stimulates the activity of the residual tyrosinase in the depigmentation epidermis by supplying a sufficient substrate in the form of oxygen via pho-

Red light causes the photo-stimulation of melanocytes, leading to their migration and proliferation in the vitiliginous skin.

totherapy. It also increases the permeability of the cell membrane to calcium ions, stimulating calcium uptake by melanocytic cells. Adding VitiSES ointment (which rapidly penetrates the skin) to the treatment regimen, provides a favorable microenvironment for repigmentation by removing the high levels of peroxides present in vitiliginous skin and damaged melanocytes. The OmniLux LED system, developed initially for the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer, offers a single-platform technology with multiple treatment heads for photorejuvenation, acne and non-melanoma Before skin cancers. OmniLux is awaiting FDA approval in the

U.S. for red and blue light therapy. Both the OmniLux LED system and VitiSES cream are available through