Meet Noufal Raboobee, MD, a dermatologist in Durban, South Africa (SA), who has been in private practice since 1990. Dr. Raboobee is the President of the National Vitiligo Society of SA and an Exco member of the Dermatology Society of SA. He also serves on the Global Vitiligo Foundation Medical Advisory Board.

Dr. Raboobee says that when he was in medical school, “Vitiligo was a neglected disease with very few options of treatment. Patients were often told that nothing could be done about their vitiligo. It is hugely gratifying that in this day and age, so much help is available to vitiligo sufferers, ranging from medical treatments, phototherapy and lasers, to various surgical therapies. Newer therapies are raising the bar with regard to treatment outcomes. Patients are now able to experience a substantially improved quality of life.”

Under Dr. Raboobee’s leadership, the National Vitiligo Society of SA’s activities include:

• Creating awareness of Vitiligo
Providing information to patients and doctors
Describing latest treatments
• Providing a patient support group
• Facilitating research
• Maintaining a website
• Providing list of medical practitioners offering special services for vitiligo
• Holding regular meetings
• Participating in the Dermatology Society of SA
• Funding vitiligo research
• Fighting discrimination against vitiligo sufferers
• Negotiating with medical aid societies to provide better reimbursement for vitiligo
• Holding an annual meeting of World Vitiligo Day 25 June, now held virtually.              Last year, 18 countries participated.

Dr. Raboobee has also contributed to the scientific literature, including:

Revised classification/nomenclature of vitiligo and related issues: the Vitiligo Global Issues Consensus Conference. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 2012 May; 25(3): E1–13.

Repigmentation in vitiligo: position paper of the Vitiligo Global Issues Consensus Conference (VGICC). Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 2016 Nov 19.

Standardizing serial photography for assessing and monitoring vitiligo: A core set of international recommendations for essential clinical and technical specifications.
Journal of Am Acad Dermatol 2020 Dec;83(6):1639-1646.