The LVVP has recently been receiving questions again about the so-called Cuban method. This is a vitiligo treatment with a substance from the placenta, but it is doubtful whether this is successful. Contrary to what is claimed, it has not been scientifically proven.

From time to time, stories emerge from people who benefit – sometimes temporarily – from this Cuban method. But whether this is due to the medicines they received from Cuba or some other reason is not clear. The Cuban practitioners write on their website that they have conducted scientific research, but this has not yet been confirmed by scientific researchers in the field of vitiligo who conduct double-blind studies at a university.

No compensation
What exactly does the method entail? To start with, it is carried out in Cuba. You are required to go to Cuba and stay there for at least a week. The trip costs a lot of money and the medicines (which you can reorder) are also expensive. The insurance will not reimburse any of this. The result is uncertain, despite the statement on the clinic's website that 85 percent of patients are cured.
The result of the most commonly used treatment, UVB lighting, is also uncertain. But scientific research has been conducted into this treatment and UVB exposure is often reimbursed by health insurance.

Experience
Previously, the LVVP Newsletter of June 2011 contained an interview with an LVVP member who, after much hesitation, went to Cuba with her brother for such treatment. Here is a brief summary of that piece.
'The trip was quite expensive, as was the treatment in the clinic (3500 euros including medication). The medicine that was prescribed is not approved according to European guidelines. It was a liniment made from components of a human placenta. Hardly anyone in the Cuban clinic spoke English, not even the doctors, so we had to communicate with sign language and a translation program. On the spot, the patient was smeared with the medicine from head to toe. She should continue to do this once a day. Based on the percentage of white spots (52 percent), the Cuban doctor estimated that it would take about 4 years for her to be completely brown again. So it takes a lot of self-discipline to keep this up. The first results should become visible after a few weeks. In the end, she applied for a long time, but didn't get any results. Perhaps because the vitiligo was not stable. With her brother the result was slightly better, he gradually developed small brown spots.‘

It is not yet clear from this story whether the positive or negative result applies to everyone. The LVVP recommends not to have too high expectations of (commercial) manufacturers who claim to have found THE solution against vitiligo. After all, they like to make money. If you are planning to go on holiday to Cuba, a visit to that clinic might be interesting.
But a spa trip to the Dead Sea also has a (sometimes temporary) beneficial effect for some vitiligo patients. Unfortunately, such a treatment trip is only reimbursed if you have psoriasis, not for vitiligo.