Could coconut oil help combat vitiligo’s white patches?

The coconut oil is a vegetable oil rich in medium-chain saturated fatty acids, of which lauric acid is the major component. This specific lipid composition provides it with emollient, occlusive, and protective properties for the skin barrier. Traditionally used in its pure form, the coconut oil is now incorporated into numerous dermatological formulations for its nourishing, soothing effects, and antimicrobial potential. Its capacity to limit transepidermal water loss and support stratum corneum integrity explains its usefulness for dry skin or compromised skin.

To date, however, no clinical study has demonstrated an effect of coconut oil on the progression of vitiligo nor on the repigmentation of depigmented areas.

In practice, coconut oil can only help improve skin comfort by nourishing it and providing it with a antioxidant and anti-inflammatory protection. These effects may have an indirect benefit in vitiligo, a condition characterized in particular by a oxidative stress increased oxidative stress and local inflammation, factors involved in the destruction of melanocytes. By reducing skin dryness and the production of certain inflammatory mediators, coconut oil can thus contribute to skin health. However, these actions remain purely supportive: they neither restore destroyed melanocytes nor restart melanin production.

Thus, coconut oil cannot be regarded as a natural treatment for repigmenting skin affected by vitiligo.

Although coconut oil, when used alone and appropriately, is generally well tolerated on the skin, its combination with certain home remedies and sun exposure can lead to potentially serious consequences. A case report published in the Dermatology Online Journal illustrates this risk associated with practices promoted on social media.

In this case, a 36-year-old woman with vitiligo applied a mixture of crushed bakuchi seeds (Psoralea corylifolia) and coconut oil to her depigmented patches, following advice found online, before exposing the area to sunlight. Less than an hour after exposure, an intense redness, pain, and a burning sensation developed, followed by blister formation on the depigmented lesions. Clinical examination led to the diagnosis of a phototoxic reaction induced by the bakuchi seeds. The patient required medical management with strict photoprotection, short-term oral corticosteroids, antihistamines, and topical therapy, resulting in complete healing within one week.

This reaction is explained by the presence in bakuchi seeds of furocoumarins such as psoralen and isopsoralen. These photosensitizing molecules can interact with UV radiation and cause sometimes severe inflammatory cellular damage. In this situation, coconut oil did not play a protective role: used as a lipid carrier, it instead facilitated the application and retention of the photosensitizing compounds on the skin, contributing to the intensity of the reaction.

This type of event underscores the risks associated with using home remedies, especially in a complex disease like vitiligo.

It underscores the importance of relying on the advice of qualified healthcare professionals and avoiding self-medication based on recommendations from the Internet or social media, which can lead to adverse reactions ranging from mild to severe.

• EVANGELISTA M. T. & al. The effect of topical virgin coconut oil on SCORAD index, transepidermal water loss, and skin capacitance in mild to moderate pediatric atopic dermatitis: A randomized, double-blind, clinical trial. International Journal of Dermatology (2014).

• JHA N. Phototoxic reaction to Bakuchi seeds tried as a home remedy in a patient of vitiligo. Dermatology Online Journal (2020).

• DANESHFARD B. & al. Potential therapeutic effects of virgin coconut oil on COVID-19. Tanaffos (2022).

• GEW L. T. & al. A comprehensive review of plant-based cosmetic oils (virgin coconut oil, olive oil, argan oil, and jojoba oil): Chemical and biological properties and their cosmeceutical applications. ACS Omega (2024).