ABSTRACT
Localized, stable patches of vitiligo that are resistant to the conventional treatment can be camouflaged permanently by tattooing. Four different shades of ferric oxide are used to prepare the pigment, which is deposited in the papillary dermis with the help of a tattooing gun or machine. The conventionally used tattooing gun consists of a stainless steel tube in which a stainless steel needle bar is moved up and down by an electric motor. A number of conical needles are soldered onto the needle bar. The needles are arranged in two rows of either two and four or four and five needles. The length of the needle is 36 mm, the length of the conical part is 1.1 mm, and the thickness of the needle is between 0.36 and 0.41 mm. The ideal depth to reach the papillary dermis is 1.1-1.3 mm. Up and down movement of the needle bar is regulated between 500 and 3000 rpm. The needles are the same as those used in microsurgery and entemology (1).
