Vitiligo diagnostic methods: from Wood's lamp to artificial intelligence
DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2025-9-6-4
V.V. Petunina, V.Yu. Vasenova, I.V. Khamaganova, I.V. Polesco
Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation
Vitiligo is a disease with multifactorial etiology characterized by areas of depigmentation of the skin resulting from melanocyte loss. The disease follows a benign course; however, it significantly affects patients' quality of life. One of the key aspects in practical dermatology is the objective assessment of skin status for the purposes of diagnosis, evaluation of therapeutic efficacy, and monitoring disease changes. To date, there is no unified standard for the diagnosis of vitiligo. Nevertheless, it is essential for practicing clinicians to have access to effective diagnostic tools for managing such patients. This review describes the main contemporary non-invasive and objective methods for the diagnosis of vitiligo, including their roles in diagnosis, severity assessment, and monitoring treatment response, as well as the benefits and limitations of each technique. Particular attention is given to the use of artificial intelligence, which enables automated assessment of dermatoscopic patterns and minimizes the impact of human factors.
Keywords: vitiligo diagnosis, Wood's lamp, UV dermatoscopy, spectrometry, colorimetry, confocal laser microscopy, optical coherence tomography, UV photo-documentation, artificial intelligence.
For citation: Petunina V.V., Vasenova V.Yu., Khamaganova I.V., Polesco I.V. Vitiligo diagnostic methods: from Wood's lamp to artificial intelligence. Russian Medical Inquiry. 2025;9(6):320–326 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2025-9-6-4
About the authors:
Valentina V. Petunina — C. Sc. (Med.), Associate Professor of the Department of Skin Diseases and Cosmetology, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University; 1, Ostrovityanov str., Moscow, 117437, Russian Federation; ORCID iD 0000-0002-3808-8584
Victoria Yu. Vasenova — Dr. Sc. (Med.), Professor of the Department of Skin Diseases and Cosmetology, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University; 1, Ostrovityanov str., Moscow, 117437, Russian Federation; ORCID iD 0000-0002-6090-9676
Irina V. Khamaganova — Dr. Sc. (Med.), Professor of the Department of Skin Diseases and Cosmetology, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University; 1, Ostrovityanov str., Moscow, 117437, Russian Federation; ORCID iD 0000-0003-2942-8812
Irina V. Polesko — Dr. Sc. (Med.), Associate Professor, Professor of the Department of Skin Diseases and Cosmetology, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University; 1, Ostrovityanov str., Moscow, 117437, Russian Federation; ORCID iD 0000-0002-6041-717X
Contact information: Valentina V. Petunina, e-mail: v.v.petounina@mail.ru
Financial Disclosure: no authors have a financial or property interest in any material or method mentioned.
There is no conflict of interest.
Received 23.05.2025.
Revised 15.06.2025.
Accepted 30.06.2025.
2. Silverberg J.I., Silverberg N.B. False "highlighting" with Wood's lamp. Pediatr Dermatol. 2014;31(1):109–110. DOI: 10.1111/j.1525-1470.2012.01787.x
3. García-Gil M.F., Monte Serrano J., Ortega Lalmonda I. [Examination of vitiligo using the blue light from mobile devices as an alternative to Wood's lamp]. Aten Primaria. 2020;52(9):649–650 (in Spanish). DOI: 10.1016/j.aprim.2020.02.006
4. Xu A.E., Huang B., Li Y.W. et al. Clinical, histopathological and ultrastructural characteristics of naevus depigmentosus. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2008;33(4):400–405. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2230.2008.02714.x
5. Jacks S.K., Witman P.M. Tuberous Sclerosis Complex: An Upd ate for Dermatologists. Pediatr Dermatol. 2015;32(5):563–570. DOI: 10.1111/pde.12567
6. Herro E.M., Cosan T., Jacob S.E. Ultraviolet protective eyewear for Wood's light use. Pediatr Dermatol. 2011;28(3):351–352. DOI: 10.1111/j.1525-1470.2011.01438.x
7. Сергеев Ю.В., Иванов О.Л., Сергеев В.Ю., Черкасова М.В. Цифровая видеодермоскопия: новые подходы к диагностике, лечению и профилактике заболеваний кожи. Российский журнал кожных и венерических болезней. 2004;1:23–27.Sergeev Y.V., Ivanov O.L., Sergeev V.Y., Cherkasova M.V. Digital videodermoscopy: new approaches to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of skin diseases. Russian Journal of Skin and Venereal Diseases. 2004;1:23–27 (in Russ.).
8. Соколов Д.В., Демидов Л.В., Белышева Т.С. и др. История развития метода поверхностной эпилюминесцентной микроскопии (дерматоскопии) кожи. Клиническая дерматология и венерология. 2009;1:11–14. DOI: 10.1234/cdv.2009.5678Sokolov D.V., Demidov L.V., Belysheva T.S. et al. History of the development of the method of superficial epiluminescence microscopy (dermatoscopy) of the skin. Clinical Dermatology and Venereology. 2009;1:11–14 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.1234/cdv.2009.5678
9. Дерматоскопия в клинической практике : руководство для врачей. Под ред. Н.Н. Потекаева. М.: МДВ; 2011.Dermatoscopy in clinical practice: a guide for doctors. Ed. N.N. Potekaev. Moscow: MDV; 2011 (in Russ.).
10. Khurrum H., AlGhamdi K.M., Bedaiwi K.M., AlBalahi N.M. Multivariate Analysis of Factors Associated with the Koebner Phenomenon in Vitiligo: An Observational Study of 381 Patients. Ann Dermatol. 2017;29(3):302–306. DOI: 10.5021/ad.2017.29.3.302
11. Jha S.K., Sonthalia A., Lallas A., Chaudhary K.R. Dermoscopy in vitiligo: diagnosis and beyond. Int J Dermatol. 2018;57(1):50–54. DOI: 10.1111/ijd.13795
12. Al-Refu K. Dermoscopy is a new diagnostic tool in diagnosis of common hypopigmented macular disease: a descriptive study. Dermatol Rep. 2019;11(1):7916. DOI: 10.4081/dr.2018.7916
13. Thatte S.S., Khopkar U.S. The utility of dermoscopy in the diagnosis of evolving lesions of vitiligo. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2014;80(6):505–508. DOI: 10.4103/0378-6323.144144
14. Yuan M., Xie Y., Zheng Y. et al. Novel ultraviolet dermoscopy: early diagnosis and activity evaluation of vitiligo. Skin Res Technol. 2023;29:e13249. DOI: 10.1111/srt.13249
15. Жульмина В.В., Бразовский К.С., Пестерев П.Н. и др. Оптический спектр отражения кожи при витилиго. Бюллетень сибирской медицины. 2013;12(3):32–36.Zhulmina V.V., Brazovskiy K.S., Pesterev P.N. et al. Optical reflection spectrum of the skin in vitiligo. Byulleten sibirskoy meditsiny. 2013;12(3):32–36 (in Russ.).
16. Prince S., Malarvizhi S. Multi-Wavelength Diffuse Reflectance Plots for Mapping Various Chromophores in Human Skin for Non-Invasive Diagnosis. IFMBE Proc. 2009;23:323–326. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-92841-6_79
17. De Bruyne S., Speeckaert R., Himpe J., Delanghe J.R. Near-infrared spectroscopy as a potential non-invasive tool in the assessment of disease activity in vitiligo patients. Exp Dermatol. 2020;29(5):570–574. DOI: 10.1111/exd.14097
18. Poojary S., Jaiswal S., Wahi A., Sahoo A. A portable fluorescence spectrometer as a noninvasive diagnostic tool in dermatology: a cross-sectional observational study. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2019;85(6):641–647. DOI: 10.4103/ijdvl.IJDVL_440_18
19. Hegyi V., Petrovajová M., Novotný M. An objective assessment of melanin in vitiligo skin treated with Balneo PUVA therapy. Skin Res Technol. 2014;20(1):108–115. DOI: 10.1111/srt.12092
20. Park E.S., Na J.I., Kim S.O. et al. Application of a pigment measuring device — Mexameter — for the differential diagnosis of vitiligo and nevus depigmentosus. Skin Res Technol. 2006;12(4):298–302. DOI: 10.1111/j.0909-752X.2006.00187.x
21. Abdi P., Anthony M.R., Farkouh C. et al. Non-invasive skin measurement methods and diagnostics for vitiligo: a systematic review. Front Med (Lausanne). 2023;10:1200963. DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1200963
22. Nugroho H., Fadzil M.A., Yap V.V. et al. Determination of skin repigmentation progression. Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2007;2007:3442–3445. DOI: 10.1109/IEMBS.2007.4353071
23. Кунгуров Н.В., Зильберберг Н.В., Кохан М.М. и др. Конфокальная лазерная сканирующая микроскопия: опыт работы в ГБУ СО «Уральский научно-исследовательский институт дерматовенерологии и иммунопатологии». Клиническая дерматология и венерология. 2022;21(1):106–113. DOI: 10.17116/klinderma202221011106Kungurov N.V., Zilberberg N.V., Kokhan M.M. et al. Confocal laser scanning microscopy: experience at the Ural Research Institute of Dermatovenereology and Immunopathology. Clinical Dermatology and Venereology. 2022;21(1):106–113 (in Russ.).
24. Lai L.G., Xu A.E. In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy imaging of vitiligo, nevus depigmentosus and nevus anemicus. Skin Res Technol. 2011;17(4):404–410. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0846.2011.00521.x
25. Хисматуллина З.Р., Чеботарев В.В., Закирова Ю.А., Яшкина А.А. Конфокальная лазерная сканирующая микроскопия в диагностике онкологической патологии: современные аспекты и перспективы применения. Креативная хирургия и онкология. 2021;11(1):76–84. DOI: 10.24060/2076-3093-2021-11-1-76-84Khismatullina Z.R., Chebotarev V.V., Zakirova Y.A., Yashkina A.A. Confocal laser scanning microscopy in the diagnosis of oncological pathology: current aspects and prospects of application. Creative surgery and oncology. 2021;11(1):76–84 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.24060/2076-3093-2021-11-1-76-84
26. Huang D., Swanson E.A., Lin C.P. et al. Optical coherence tomography. Science. 1991;254(5035):1178–1181. DOI: 10.1126/science.1957169
27. Xie J., Hao T., Li C. et al. Automatic evaluation of stratum basale and dermal papillae using ultrahigh resolution optical coherence tomography. Biomed Signal Process Control. 2019;53:101527. DOI: 10.1016/j.bspc.2019.04.004
28. Su P.H., Huang B.H., Ng C.Y. et al. Characterization of vitiligo with optical coherence tomography. SPIE Proc. 2021;2:186–187. DOI: 10.1117/12.2615970
29. Ratner D., Thomas C.O., Bickers D. The uses of digital photography in dermatology. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1999;41(5):749–756. DOI: 10.1016/s0190-9622(99)70012-5
30. van Geel N., Hamzavi I., Kohli I. et al. Standardizing serial photography for assessing and monitoring vitiligo: a core se t of international recommendations for essential clinical and technical specifications. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020;83:1639–1646. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2019.10.055
31. Li Y., Kong A.W., Thng S. Segmenting Vitiligo on Clinical Face Images Using CNN Trained on Synthetic and Internet Images. IEEE J Biomed Health Inform. 2021;25(8):3082–3093. DOI: 10.1109/JBHI.2021.3055213
32. Juhasz M.L.W., Marmur E.S. The Role of Machine Learning in Distinguishing Vitiligo from Post-Inflammatory Hypopigmentation. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2022;86(3):567–575. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2021.12.123
33. Zhang L., Mishra S., Zhang T. et al. Design and Assessment of Convolutional Neural Network Based Methods for Vitiligo Diagnosis. Front Med (Lausanne). 2021;8:754202. DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.754202
34. Shamsudin N., Hussein S.H., Nugroho H., Fadzil M.H. Objective assessment of vitiligo with a computerised digital imaging analysis system. Australas J Dermatol. 2015;56(4):285–289. DOI: 10.1111/ajd.12247
35. Guo L., Yang Y., Ding H. et al. A deep learning-based hybrid artificial intelligence model for the detection and severity assessment of vitiligo lesions. Ann Transl Med. 2022;10(10):590. DOI: 10.21037/atm-22-1738
36. Nugraha G.A., Nurhudatiana A., Bahana R. Vi-da: a mobile application for assisting in the diagnosis of vitiligo. J Phys Conf Ser. 2018;978:012003. DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/978/1/012003
37. Luo W., Liu J., Huang Y. et al. An effective vitiligo intelligent classification system. J Ambient Intell Human Comput. 2023;14:5479–5488. DOI: 10.1007/s12652-020-02357-5
38. van Geel N., Vandendriessche D., Vandersichel E. et al. Reference method for digital surface measurement of target lesions in vitiligo: a comparative analysis. Br J Dermatol. 2019;180(5):1198–1205. DOI: 10.1111/bjd.17190
39. Nugroho H., Ahmad Fadzil M.H., Shamsudin N., Hussein S.H. Computerised image analysis of vitiligo lesion: evaluation using manually defined lesion areas. Skin Res Technol. 2013;19(1):e72–e77. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0846.2011.00610.x
40. Nurhudatiana A. A Computer-Aided Diagnosis System for Vitiligo Assessment: A Segmentation Algorithm. In: Intelligence in the Era of Big Data. ICSIIT 2015. Commun Comput Inf Sci. 2015;516:30. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-662-46742-8_30
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons «Attribution» 4.0 License.
