Tens of thousands of people living with vitiligo affecting their face are to be offered the first approved medicine on the NHS to restore lost skin colour.

The new cream, known as ruxolitinib, will be offered to nearly 100,000 people aged 12 and over who have a form of the condition where white patches typically appear symmetrically on both sides of the face and body (non-segmental vitiligo).

The treatment is applied twice daily to affected areas of the skin, with results usually checked after about 6 months, and will be offered where standard steroid creams have not worked or are not suitable, following a deal struck by the NHS.

Clinical trials showed the cream significantly improved facial re-pigmentation compared to a placebo, with many patients seeing at least a 75% return of skin colour to affected areas.

While often not physically painful, for many people, vitiligo can be emotionally distressing – and when it affects the face, it can have a significant impact on people’s confidence, sense of identity and mental health.

Around 1 in 100 people in the UK live with vitiligo, an autoimmune disease in which the person’s immune system mistakenly attacks melanocytes – the cells that produce melanin, the pigment that gives skin its colour.

It can affect any area of the skin, but most commonly affects the face, neck and hands. In some people, it can appear or worsen due to factors including illness, stress or skin injury.

The treatment works by calming the immune response that causes colour to be lost, allowing skin tone to gradually return.

Until now, options have been limited mostly to interventions that camouflage the condition or steroid creams that can thin and damage the skin if used long-term. Light therapy is also offered, but it requires repeated hospital visits and does not always produce lasting results.

Professor Meghana Pandit, National Medical Director at NHS England, said: “For many people, vitiligo isn’t just a change in skin colour – it can affect how they see themselves and how they feel every day, particularly when it involves the face.

“We also know the condition can have a particularly significant impact on people with darker skin tones, where changes in pigmentation are more visible.

“For the first time, we now have an approved treatment available on the NHS that can significantly restore skin colour rather than simply covering the condition up. While it won’t be right for everyone, for some people this could make a profound difference to how they feel about themselves.”

The cream had previously been rejected for NHS use in August 2025, but following a rapid review and complex negotiations, NHS England secured a deal with manufacturer Incyte to enable its approval today by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Callum Pickering, 41, an electrical design engineer from Ipswich first noticed a small white patch on his knee when he was 10 years old. As he grew older, the vitiligo spread across his body and face; accelerated, Callum believes, by the trauma of losing a close school friend.

In his younger years, Callum spent hours trying to camouflage the white patches on his skin and into adulthood has found the appearance of vitiligo on the back of his head and hands a real challenge.

Callum said: “I’ve learned to live with it and accept it more. I’m confident talking about it, but that doesn’t mean I’m not self-conscious. People double-take. Some try not to look, others just stare.

“A treatment that really works and is available to everyone who wants it would make such a difference. Some people are happy to embrace it, and that’s great. But for me, if something could help, it would be life-changing”.

Abigail Hurrell, CEO of The Vitiligo Society said: “For more than 40 years, The Vitiligo Society has campaigned relentlessly for effective, evidence‑based treatment options for people living with vitiligo. Today’s approval of ruxolitinib represents a historic milestone and the first time the NHS has recognised and funded a dedicated re-pigmentation treatment.

“This decision acknowledges the significant psychological, social and medical impact of vitiligo and marks a fundamental shift towards the equitable care our community has long deserved.

“We are profoundly grateful to the individuals who shared their lived experiences and helped elevate this issue to national attention. Their voices were instrumental in achieving this outcome, alongside constructive collaboration from NICE, NHS England, clinicians, researchers and industry partners.

“As we move into this new era with further innovations on the horizon, The Vitiligo Society remains fully committed to ensuring that everyone in the UK has access to the best possible vitiligo treatment options available, both now and in the years ahead.”

As with any medicine, it can cause side effects, most commonly mild reactions at the site where the cream is applied, such as redness or irritation.