Suction device for epidermal grafting in vitiligo: Employing a syringe and a manometer to provide an adequate negative pressure

BACKGROUND. Suction devices for epidermal grafting need a suction pump to provide a negative pressure. The authors have developed a suction device in which a syringe and a manometer are employed to provide a negative pressure. OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of our suction device in vitiligo patients. METHODS. The suction device was used to obtain epidermal blisters from the donor site. A CO2 laser was employed to remove the depigmented epidermis. The blister roofs of the donor site were harvested and were placed onto the recipient area. Ten patients with stable vitiligo were treated by epidermal grafting. RESULTS. Epidermal blisters were produced by suction in all patients. Also, all 10 patients regained repigmentation. CONCLUSION. Our suction blister device is simple and inexpensive to make, and it may become an alternative to the other suction devices.