Novitil

What is Novitil?

Novitil is a skin repigmentation gel manufactured by DermaBest Inc.

Since Novitil stimulates melanin production, it is recommended for treating hypopigmentation disorders like vitiligo and also to impact deeper than on normal skin.

The advanced formula for this topical vitiligo gel includes lipoproteins, polypeptides, carboxymethyl cellulose, aloe barbadensis, camphor, menthol, and oligoelements.

The application of Novitil should be combined with exposure to ultraviolet light. Sources of ultraviolet irradiation to use can either be sunlight or special UV lamps.

Although Novitil requires UV exposure for optimal repigmentation, it does not contain a photosensitive active ingredient. Therefore, unlike psoralen, Novitil does not make the skin more sensitive to sunlight. In fact, where UV exposure is not possible, infrared light can also serve as an alternative while treating vitiligo with Novitil.

Since the ingredients of Novitil are sensitive to light the gel should be stored away from direct sunlight in a cool, dry place.

Novitil contains no irritant and it is non-allergenic. It is also well tolerated by people of all skin types.

Novitil can also be combined with other vitiligo treatments such as steroid creams and even other phototherapeutic options such as PUVA (psoralen and UVA therapy).

The Ingredients of Novitil

The table below shows the complete ingredient list of Novitil.

Not all of these ingredients are active ingredients. The support ingredients included in Novitil are carboxymethyl cellulose (a thickening agent for holding other ingredients together in a gel matrix), kathon (also known as methylchloroisothiazolinone, a preservative with antibacterial and antifungal properties), and glycerin (a solvent, preservative, and thickening agent).

Both camphor and menthol are secondary ingredients. They produce a cooling effect on the skin while also reducing irritation and providing local anesthetic effects. Camphor is also an antimicrobial agent and menthol has an analgesic property.

The main ingredients of Novitil are proprietary blends of lipoproteins, polypeptides, and oligoelements.

Lipoproteins are biochemical compounds formed from the combination of proteins and lipids. These lipoproteins serve different purposes but the most important of these are the building of surface membrane proteins and facilitating the transport of essential nutrients in and out of cells.

Lipoproteins represent a wide range of biological structures including enzymes, structural proteins, transporters, antigens, and even toxins.

Polypeptides are long, unbranched peptides. They make up the structures of proteins. Since proteins form a vast range of biological molecules including enzymes, cofactors, and structural molecules, they can serve different purposes and have different medicinal properties.

Oligoelements are trace essential nutrients. The minerals included in oligo element complexes include zinc, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, selenium, calcium, phosphorus, etc.

These minerals fulfill several purposes in the body, help to correct nutritional deficiencies, and help drive important biochemical processes.

Aloe barbadensis is also known as aloe vera. It is an important remedy in traditional medicine.

The inclusion of aloe barbadensis in Novitil serves the purpose of preventing excessive suntan, sunburn, and other damage caused by exposing the skin to ultraviolet light.

How to Use Novitil

Novitil should be used regularly according to a fixed schedule of ultraviolet exposure. Prompt and complete results can only be obtained through the consistent use of this repigmentation gel.

To apply, take a little of the gel and rub gently on the vitiligo patches with your fingertips.

The gel should be applied twice a day and the area of the skin covered with it should be exposed to sunlight (or other UV light sources) once a day or twice daily.

The skin should not be washed for at least 2 hours after applying the gel.

In the beginning, the exposure to sunlight or UV light should be restricted to 5 minutes daily. This can then be gradually extended until a maximal exposure time of 30 minutes is reached.

To prevent the unaffected parts of the skin from getting unduly tanned (and the contrast between the white patches and normal skin from growing), the rest of the body should be kept covered with cloths and/or sunscreen (SPF of 30 and above).

Protective sunglasses should also be worn.

The appropriate time to leave the white patches exposed to sunlight is determined by skin type. People with skin types I and II rarely acquire a tan and experience sunburn quite easily. Therefore, the period of exposure for such people should be kept brief.

Where ultraviolet exposure is not possible, an infrared light should be used. The source of the infrared light should be placed at a distance of 45 – 50 cm from the white spots. The recommended time of exposure is 30 minutes.

Whether sunlight, UV, or infrared lamps are used, the duration of light treatment should be reduced at the first signs of erythema or reddening skin.

How Novitil Works

Novitil is effective in the treatment of vitiligo for several reasons. Given the number of nutrients included in Novitil, the exact mechanism by which Novitil reverses the depigmentation of the skin is unclear.

However likely, the trace elements, peptides, and lipoproteins supplied in Novitil possess antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties which can prevent further destruction of melanocytes as well as protect melanocytes and encourage increased production of melanin.

Specifically, the active ingredients of Novitil enhance the ability of melanocytes to respond to ultraviolet irradiation (whether for sunlight or special UV lamps).

Therefore, Novitil stimulates melanocytes to produce more melanin.

Furthermore, the active ingredients of Novitil inhibit the inflammatory processes that cause depigmentation of the skin.

Some of the trace elements included in Novitil possess antioxidant properties. Therefore, they can help reduce the oxidative stress placed on the skin by reactive oxygen species and free radicals.

Some of the polypeptides included can also help prevent the autoimmune attack on melanocytes and ensure the survival of more melanocytes.

Therefore, the overall result produced by the active ingredients of Novitil is the rapid repigmentation of vitiligo patches.

Is Novitil Effective in Vitiligo Treatment?

Most people experience the first signs of repigmentation after the first month of using Novitil especially when sunlight is the source of UV radiation.

Artificial UV light may take longer to act. Also, the repigmentation of hands and feet may take longer than the repigmentation of the face, neck, trunk, and perianal regions. Fingertips may take even longer.

The repigmentation of vitiligo spots varies from one individual to another. It may proceed from the center or edge of each spot. Or it may cover the whole spot but with a much lighter color like pink before turning light brown and then deeper.

Usually, the repigmentation caused by Novitil is permanent. Where a spot of depigmentation arises, Novitil should be applied immediately.

It should be noted that other conditions cause white patches to appear on the skin. For example, pityriasis versicolor produces a similar depigmentation to vitiligo but since it is a fungal infection and not a depigmentation disorder, Novitil does not work for such a condition.

For vitiligo, Novitil is a good solution.

It is especially effective for the repigmentation of vitiligo patches when combined with other vitiligo treatments.

Novitil employs a nutritional approach to treat vitiligo. For some people, this is enough but for others, Novitil can only serve as a supplementary treatment. Vitiligo medications with more direct mechanisms of action will produce better results.

Therefore, Novitil is recommended for early treatment of vitiligo especially if the white patches are restricted to selected body parts. In that way, it is an alternative to steroid creams which are also used to treat vitiligo early on.

When the vitiligo is rapidly spreading and covering large areas, other vitiligo treatment may produce better results.