Successful Treatment of Vitiligo with Crisaborole 2% Ointment

Vitiligo is a common disorder of skin pigmentation resulting from autoimmune destruction of melanocytes. A variety of topical and systemic treatment options have been tried with varying success. Here we describe the case of a man with refractory vitiligo successfully treated with topical crisaborole ointment. Crisaborole ointment is a topical phosphodiesterase (PDE)-4 inhibitor recently FDA-approved for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. Previous literature has discussed the possible role of systemic PDE-4 inhibitors in vitiligo; herein, we discuss the ability of topical crisaborole to accelerate repigmentation in treatment-resistant vitiligo.