The morning after Christmas I found myself sitting in a chair at the dermatologists office instead of being among the myriad of shoppers at the mall.
Before the treatment began, I asked the dermatologist the question which appeared most this week on the blog…”how much do these treatments cost if your insurance won’t cover it?” Unfortunately it’s a subjective question, so a definitive answer could not be given.
First and foremost, it was suggested to find a dermatologist who offer the service on a sliding scale according to income. What a fantastic idea since this option should be open to everyone. It also dawned on me that there may be many people who have a hard time finding a job because their vitiligo may deter a potential employer from hiring them. It’s not fair, but this may be a fact of life for some.
Secondly, the amount of vitiligo coverage must be factored into the total cost because the more white patches that need to be treated, the more visits which need be made. When using narrow-band UVB, many dermatologist prefer to treat patients with less than 10% coverage to lessen exposure. It was estimated that 5% of my body has vitiligo, but that sounds rather high to me.
All in all, the treatments would cost approximately $100 to $200 per session. Remember, this is a guesstimate and you should call dermatologists in your area to better grasp the treatment costs.
Here are the photos of my treated areas after the third visit: