Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download
ePaper created 2014-09-15, 12:31:02 | version 1.32.01
The Netherlands Institute for Pigment Disorders (SNIP) In 1994 Wiete Westerhof started the SNIP as an independent foundation based at the University of Amsterdam’s Academic Medical Center. The institute developed into a unique center of expertise, attracting patients from all over The Netherlands and beyond. In 1997 Narrowband UVB (311nm) phototherapy was introduced for the treatment of vitiligo.[1] This modality is now widely accepted as the most effective treatment for this disease. It has largely replaced PUVA therapy, which is less effective and has more side-effects. Progressive macular hypomelanosis (PMH) is a skin condition characterised by the development of multiple round hypopigmented maculae, especially on the trunk. Here the lesions have the tendency to coalesce around the midline. Westerhof discovered the presence of red follicular fluorescence under Woods lamp illumination in these lesions and, together with his group, linked this to a pathogenetic role of a subtype of Propionibacterium acnes and subsequently demonstrated the efficacy of topical therapy with benzoylperoxide and clindamycin together with UVA as a treatment for this condition.[2,3] After his retirement, Westerhof initiated studies to develop a melanoma vaccine, which was based on his haptenation theory of vitiligo.[4,5] References 1. Westerhof W. Nieuweboer-Krobotova L. Treatment of vitiligo with UV-B radiation vs topical psoralen plus UV-A. Arch. Dermatol. 1997; 133: 1525-8. 2. Westerhof W, Relyveld GN, Kingswijk MM. Propionibacterium acnes and the pathogenesis of progressive macular hypomelanosis. Arch Dermatol 2004; 140: 210-21. 3. Relyveld GN, Kingswijk MM, Reitsma JB, et al. Benzoyl peroxide/ clindamycin/ UVA is more effective than fluticason/UVA in progressive macular hypomelanosis: a randomized study. J Am Acad Dermatol 2006; 55: 836-43. 4. Westerhof W, d’Ischia M. Vitiligo puzzle: the pieces fall in place. Pigment Cell Res. 2007; 20: 345-59. 5. Westerhof W, Manini P, Napolitano A, et al. The haptenation theory of vitiligo and melanoma rejection: a close-up. Exp Dermatol. 2011; 20: 92-6. 39 Vitiligo on the hands in a symmetrical pattern. BWEADVSMGFINCORR:Opmaak 1 21-07-2014 17:39 Pagina 39