Alopecia

Posters presented at the Society for Pediatric Dermatology Annual Meeting shed new light on pediatric hair loss, including the rising prevalence of androgenetic alopecia in children, the potential of artificial intelligence to assess hair loss severity, and the long-term safety of ritlecitinib for treating alopecia areata in adolescents.

Patients with alopecia areata (AA) face significant out-of-pocket costs for treatments, despite many having limited efficacy.

The FDA has approved deuruxolitinib, an oral medication developed by Sun Pharma, as the first-line treatment for adults with moderate to severe alopecia areata.

Two posters presented at the Society for Pediatric Dermatology Annual Meeting explored common health conditions linked to childhood alopecia areata and the effectiveness of dupilumab treatment in children with both alopecia areata and atopic dermatitis.

Marissa Joseph, MD, MSc, FRCPC, medical director at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, highlighted cases from her practice to illustrate the recommended approach to scarring inflammatory scalp dermatosis in adolescents at the Society for Pediatric Dermatology Annual Meeting.

A literature review found a link between COVID-19 vaccination and alopecia, with most cases experiencing hair loss within 1 month after the first dose. However, the small sample size and limited data call for further investigation.

An expert consensus by Spanish dermatologists offers treatment recommendations for androgenetic alopecia, the most common cause of hair loss, using a combination of medications and hair transplantation depending on the patient's sex, age, and other factors.

Results found nail changes in patients with alopecia areata (AA) can occur before, after, or independent of hair loss with the most common nail problems including pitting, ridging, and white spots.

In addition to ensuring residency programs provide educational and practical opportunities for addressing skin of color (SOC) hair-related concerns, prioritizing having residents of diverse backgrounds can help close knowledge and comfort gaps, suggest researchers.

Various laser technologies are emerging as a promising treatment for alopecia, showing effectiveness in hair regrowth with minimal adverse events. These treatments target inflammation and stimulate hair follicles to promote hair growth, but more research is necessary to confirm long-term safety and efficacy for some lasers.

The review explores the potential link between alopecia areata (AA) and cysteine metabolism. Research suggests insufficient cysteine levels or disruptions in its processing could contribute to AA development. Further studies are needed to confirm these connections and explore potential therapeutic strategies targeting cysteine metabolism for AA treatment.

This scientific review examines the potential of targeting the thyroid receptor β (TRβ) for developing new drugs to treat androgenetic alopecia, with the authors discussing various mechanisms by which TRβ might work and analyze promising drug candidates.

In a European expert consensus statement, researchers discover the exciting breakthroughs for patients with alopecia areata (AA). This article explores the unlocked potential of combination therapies and targeted biologics to regrow hair and transform lives.

A poster from the 2024 Revolutionizing Alopecia Areata, Vitiligo, and Eczema (RAVE) conference held in Chicago, Illinois presented results of a clinical trial for patients with alopecia areata (AA). The trial used rilecitinib and showed promising results in patients with AA after most patients achieved significant hair regrowth following 15 months of treatment.

Different Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors underwent an evaluation for severe alopecia areata (AA) and found deuruxolitinib higher doses (12 mg) and baricitinib (4 mg) showed promise in hair regrowth improvement, but further research must be done to confirm these results while more long-term effects are explored.

Scalp-cooling therapy (SCT) is a treatment that may help reduce hair loss in women with breast cancer who are experiencing chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA). A study found that many women who used SCT were satisfied with the results, but the treatment is expensive, making it necessary for more advocacy by health care professionals to make SCT accessible.

A case controlled study suggests a gene variant may offer some protection from frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA), but only if there is no prior history of oral contraceptive pill use, which appears to increase the risk for carriers of this variant.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment increased hair regrowth in patients with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and may help rebalance the scalp microbiome, although the link between the microbiome changes and hair growth needs future investigations.

A study using a large Korean health database found that people with a rare hair loss disorder called primary cicatricial alopecia were more likely to also have additional health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure compared with people who had other hair loss conditions or no hair loss at all.

A study found scalp repair serum microneedle combined therapy with medication to improve hair growth outcomes for patients with moderate to severe androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and reduce the number of microneedling sessions necessary.

A genetic study suggests people with allergies and eczema are more likely to develop alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. Researchers believe this link may be due to similar immune system responses.

A Mendelian randomization study using genetic analysis found that alopecia areata (AA) increases the risk of anxiety and depression, but not the other way around, providing unique evidence for a causal link while adding to existing evidence.

A survey study showed major barriers to Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi) therapy for patients with alopecia areata, especially for non-White patients who face higher rates of being uninsured and struggle more to afford the treatment.

A survey study found a strong association between severe alopecia areata (AA) and significant impairments in quality of life and mental wellbeing, highlighting the need for comprehensive treatment addressing both physical and emotional aspects of the disease.

Potential links between alopecia areata (AA) and hypothyroidism were observed among the study but the connection between androgenetic alopecia (AG) and hypothyroidism needs further investigation.