January 201750
A review found low- to moderate-quality evidence for topical minoxidil in female pattern hair loss, while finasteride was no better than placebo. Microneedling with PRP plus 5% minoxidil outperformed minoxidil alone for hair growth, and PRP injections versus saline placebo improved hair density and thickness. Single-spin PRP injections showed no significant benefit for density or thickness, though a PRP protocol in minoxidil/finasteride nonresponders improved at least one grade in 71–73%. Caffeine 0.2% topical was noninferior to 5% minoxidil for anagen hair ratio. Propylene-glycol-free 5% minoxidil lotion matched standard solution. Topical 17α-estradiol plus 3% minoxidil increased hair count and thickness in women. Botulinum toxin scalp injections produced photographic response in 8 of 10 men.
- Interventions for Female Pattern Hair Loss A review found low- to moderate-quality evidence for topical minoxidil in female pattern hair loss; finasteride was no better than placebo.
- A comparative study of microneedling with platelet-rich plasma plus topical minoxidil (5%) and topical minoxidil (5%) alone in androgenetic alopecia In 50 men with pattern hair loss, adding microneedling with PRP to 5% minoxidil gave significantly better hair growth than minoxidil alone at 6 months.
- A spilt head study of efficacy of placebo versus platelet-rich plasma injections in the treatment of androgenic alopecia In 50 men with pattern hair loss, PRP injections improved hair density and thickness compared to saline placebo with no major side effects.
- An Open-Label Randomized Multicenter Study Assessing the Noninferiority of a Caffeine-Based Topical Liquid 0.2% versus Minoxidil 5% Solution in Male Androgenetic Alopecia In 210 men with pattern hair loss, 0.2% caffeine topical was not inferior to 5% minoxidil for increasing anagen hair ratio at 6 months.
- A proposal of an effective platelet-rich plasma protocol for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia In 78 pattern hair loss patients unresponsive to minoxidil/finasteride, PRP injections improved at least one grade in 71-73% after 6 sessions.
- Platelet-rich plasma by single spin process in male pattern androgenetic alopecia: Is it an effective treatment? In 13 men with pattern hair loss, single-spin PRP injections showed no significant benefit for hair density or thickness at 3 months.
- A Comparative Study between the Efficacy and Safety of 5% Minoxidil Solution and 5% Minoxidil Milky Lotion in the Treatment of Male Androgenic Alopecia. In 20 men with androgenetic alopecia, a propylene-glycol-free 5% minoxidil lotion worked as well as standard solution with only one case of mild irritation.
- Diet and hair loss: effects of nutrient deficiency and supplement use A review advises screening hair-loss patients for nutrient deficiency and warns that supplements without proven deficiency may worsen hair loss or cause toxicity.
- Novel ALK5 inhibitor TP0427736 reduces TGF-β induced growth inhibition in human outer root sheath cells and elongates anagen phase in mouse hair follicles The ALK5 inhibitor TP0427736 reduced TGF-beta growth inhibition in human hair cells and prolonged anagen in mouse follicles.
- Efficacy of superficial cryotherapy on the eyebrows of patients with alopecia universalis also treated with contact immunotherapy on the scalp: a prospective, split‐face comparative study In a split-face study of 15 patients, eyebrow cryotherapy significantly increased hair density and thickness versus untreated eyebrows in alopecia universalis.
- Preclinical and Clinical Studies Demonstrate That the Proprietary Herbal Extract DA-5512 Effectively Stimulates Hair Growth and Promotes Hair Health In mice and a small clinical study, the herbal extract DA-5512 stimulated hair growth and outperformed placebo and 3% minoxidil at 16 weeks.
- Therapeutic Efficacy of a Combination Therapy of Topical 17α-Estradiol and Topical Minoxidil on Female Pattern Hair Loss: A Noncomparative, Retrospective Evaluation In 34 women with female pattern hair loss, topical 17α-estradiol plus 3% minoxidil for 6+ months significantly increased hair count and thickness.
- Design of Finasteride-Loaded Nanoparticles for Potential Treatment of Alopecia Lab-made finasteride-loaded nanoparticles showed prolonged release and low skin penetration, suggesting potential for topical delivery with reduced systemic exposure.
- A Review of the Use of Biotin for Hair Loss A review of biotin supplementation for hair loss found benefit only in rare deficiency cases, with insufficient evidence for healthy individuals.
- Platelet-rich plasma by single-spin process in male pattern androgenetic alopecia: Is it an effective treatment? A commentary argues PRP studies in androgenetic alopecia conflict because preparation methods vary; single-spin PRP may not reach effective platelet concentrations.
- A pilot study to evaluate effectiveness of botulinum toxin in treatment of androgenetic alopecia in males In 10 men with pattern hair loss, botulinum toxin scalp injections produced good-to-excellent photographic response in 8 patients at 24 weeks.
- Efficacy and safety of topical calcipotriol in management of alopecia areata: A pilot study In 22 alopecia areata patients, topical calcipotriol lotion produced hair regrowth in 59%, with better response in vitamin D-deficient patients.
- Msi2 Maintains Quiescent State of Hair Follicle Stem Cells by Directly Repressing the Hh Signaling Pathway In mice, Msi2 kept hair follicle stem cells quiescent by repressing Hedgehog signaling; losing Msi2 enhanced regrowth.
- <i>Igf1r</i> signalling acts on the anagen‐to‐catagen transition in the hair cycle In knockout mice, deleting Igf1 receptor in bulge cells advanced anagen entry and delayed catagen via Bmp-4.
- Hair Growth Promoting and Anticancer Effects of p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) Inhibitors Isolated from Different Parts of Alpinia zerumbet In cell culture, PAK1-inhibiting compounds from alpinia grew dermal papilla cells more than minoxidil.
- Trichoscopic clues for diagnosis of alopecia areata and trichotillomania in Asians Trichoscopy features distinguishing alopecia areata from trichotillomania in Asians include exclamation mark hairs and angulated hairs.
- Stress-induced premature senescence of dermal papilla cells compromises hair follicle epithelial-mesenchymal interaction In cell culture and mice, senescent dermal papilla cells released IL-6 that suppressed hair stem cells and blocked anagen entry.
- Frontal fibrosing alopecia A review letter notes no standardised frontal fibrosing alopecia treatment; finasteride or dutasteride stabilised the hairline in about half of reported patients.
- Bilateral Half-Head Comparison of 1% Anthralin Ointment in Children with Alopecia Areata In 30 children with severe alopecia areata, 1% anthralin ointment achieved complete or partial response in 70% by 12 months with no serious adverse events.
- Sequential high‐ and low‐dose systemic corticosteroid therapy for severe childhood alopecia areata In 13 children with severe alopecia areata, sequential high-to-low-dose prednisolone achieved complete regrowth in 62% with only mild weight gain and acne.
- Quality of life assessment in patients with alopecia areata and androgenetic alopecia in the People’s Republic of China Chinese patients with alopecia areata and pattern hair loss reported moderate quality-of-life impact, worse with younger age and longer duration.
- Polygonum multiflorum root extract as a potential candidate for treatment of early graying hair In melanoma cells and zebrafish, Polygonum multiflorum root extract boosted melanin via the MC1R/MITF pathway.
- Post-Finasteride Adverse Effects in Male Androgenic Alopecia: A Case Report of Vitiligo A man developed generalized vitiligo two months after stopping finasteride, alongside mild sexual and depressive symptoms suggestive of post-finasteride syndrome; single case, not proof of causation.
- Paracrine Secreted Frizzled-Related Protein 4 Inhibits Melanocytes Differentiation in Hair Follicle In cell and in vivo experiments, sFRP4 dampens Wnt signaling and reduces melanocyte differentiation in hair follicles, relevant to pigmentation disorders.
- A Conditioned Medium of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells Overexpressing Wnt7a Promotes Wound Repair and Regeneration of Hair Follicles in Mice In mice, conditioned medium from Wnt7a-overexpressing umbilical stem cells sped wound closure and regenerated hair follicles.
- Functional Hair Follicle Regeneration by the Rearrangement of Stem Cells A detailed protocol describes regenerating functional hair follicles from rearranged epithelial and mesenchymal cells using the organ germ method.
- The Contributory Roles of Th17 Lymphocyte and Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte at the Hair Bulge Region as Well as the Hair Bulb Area in the Chronic Alopecia Areata Patients Th17 and cytotoxic T cells infiltrating hair bulge and bulb areas correlated with chronic alopecia areata severity in 331 patients.
- Low plasma zinc levels in androgenetic alopecia plasma zinc levels were low in people with androgenetic alopecia.
- Body to scalp: Evolving trends in body hair transplantation A review describes body hair transplantation as a donor source for advanced androgenetic alopecia.
- Excellent response to tofacitinib treatment in a patient with alopecia universalis A 23-year-old with alopecia universalis achieved complete hair regrowth after 6 months of tofacitinib without significant side effects.
- Presence of mast cells and mast cell degranulation in scalp biopsies of telogen effluvium Scalp biopsies showed significantly more mast cells in telogen effluvium than in alopecia areata, androgenetic alopecia or normal scalp.
- The Association between Exercise and Androgenetic Alopecia: A Survey-Based Study a survey-based study examined the association between exercise and androgenetic alopecia.
- Unsuccessful Treatment of Alopecia Areata with Simvastatin/Ezetimibe: Experience in 12 Patients In 12 patients with severe alopecia areata, simvastatin/ezetimibe produced no satisfactory regrowth and caused muscle side effects in a quarter.
- The Use of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in Selected Skin Diseases (Vitiligo, Alopecia, and Nonhealing Wounds) A review summarizes preclinical data on adipose-derived stem cells for vitiligo, alopecia, and chronic wounds.
- Classification of male-pattern hair loss A review compares existing male-pattern hair loss classification systems for detail, practicality and reproducibility.
- Prevalence of nutritional deficiencies in hair loss among Indian participants: Results of a cross-sectional study In 100 Indian hair-loss patients, amino acid and micronutrient deficiencies were very common across all alopecia types.
- Mesotherapy with dutasteride in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia Mesotherapy with dutasteride studied for pattern hair loss treatment.
- Factors Associated with Severity of Alopecia Areata A Korean study of 1,137 alopecia areata patients found male sex, nail changes, and disease duration over one year predict severe disease.
- Hair Germ Model In Vitro via Human Postnatal Keratinocyte-Dermal Papilla Interactions: Impact of Hyaluronic Acid In lab cultures, hyaluronic acid promoted formation of larger artificial hair follicle germs from human skin cells.
- Various Wavelengths of Light-Emitting Diode Light Regulate the Proliferation of Human Dermal Papilla Cells and Hair Follicles via Wnt/β-Catenin and the Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Pathways In lab cultures, 660 nm LED light best promoted dermal papilla cell proliferation and hair shaft growth via Wnt and ERK pathways.
- Simvastatin/Ezetimibe Therapy for Recalcitrant Alopecia Areata: An Open Prospective Study of 14 Patients In 14 patients with recalcitrant alopecia areata, simvastatin/ezetimibe produced 30-80% regrowth in only 4 (28.6%).
- Late-Onset Alopecia Areata: A Retrospective Cohort Study In 29 patients with alopecia areata starting after age 50, most were women and 82.8% achieved complete regrowth.
- PPAR-<i>γ</i> Agonists and Their Role in Primary Cicatricial Alopecia A review links PPAR-gamma disruption to lichen planopilaris and discusses PPAR agonists as potential scarring alopecia treatments.
- Platelet-rich plasma promotes cell viability of human hair dermal papilla cells (HHDPCs) in vitro. In cultured dermal papilla cells, 5% PRP boosted cell viability and raised ALP and versican expression.
- Epidermal growth factor promotes mesenchymal stem cell-mediated wound healing and hair follicle regeneration. In rats, adding epidermal growth factor to mesenchymal stem cell scaffolds improved wound healing and regenerated hair follicles.