October 201832
Serum androgens on finasteride predicted response: falling free testosterone and DHT meant improvement, while rising LH predicted a lower rate. A safety review found newer alopecia medications vary widely in risk, so benefits and risks must be weighed per patient. Follicular sulfotransferase testing again predicted topical minoxidil response, with 41% of patients low. 5-alpha reductase inhibitors can cause erectile, ejaculatory and libido problems, though long-term impact and susceptibility remain unclear and unpredictable. Four PRP injections increased hair count and density versus saline, independent of platelet levels. A liposomal equol-based lotion was reported to raise anagen hairs, and Spectral.DNC-N in women reduced shedding and increased hair mass, without controls. Microneedling or fractional laser plus topicals outperformed topicals alone in most reviewed studies.
- Serum Levels of Androgen-Associated Hormones Are Correlated with Curative Effect in Androgenic Alopecia in Young Men In 178 young Chinese men, those whose free testosterone and DHT fell on finasteride were more likely to improve, while rising LH predicted a lower response rate.
- Safety concerns when using novel medications to treat alopecia A review finds safety profiles of newer hair-loss treatments (JAK inhibitors, oral minoxidil, PRP, 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, microneedling) vary widely, so benefits and risks must be weighed per patient.
- Characterization of follicular minoxidil sulfotransferase activity in a cohort of pattern hair loss patients from the Indian Subcontinent In 120 Indian pattern-hair-loss patients, 41% had low follicular sulfotransferase (more men than women), and the assay again predicted topical minoxidil response.
- Sexual Problems of Men With Androgenic Alopecia Treated With 5-Alpha Reductase Inhibitors A review finds 5-alpha reductase inhibitors can cause erectile dysfunction, ejaculation problems and low libido; long-term impact and which men are affected remain unclear and unpredictable.
- Treatment of male pattern alopecia with platelet-rich plasma: A double-blind controlled study with analysis of platelet number and growth factor levels In a double-blind trial of 26 men, four PRP injections significantly increased hair count, density and anagen hairs versus saline, independent of platelet or growth factor levels.
- Toxic Side Effects of Targeted Therapies and Immunotherapies Affecting the Skin, Oral Mucosa, Hair, and Nails A review details skin, hair and nail toxicities of targeted cancer therapies and immunotherapies, noting alopecia is common and underreported with endocrine therapy.
- A liposome-based formulation containing equol, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid and propionyl-l -carnitine to prevent and treat hair loss: A prospective investigation In 60 men and women with androgenetic alopecia, a liposomal lotion with equol, DGLA and propionyl-L-carnitine raised anagen hairs within 1-3 months and hair count by 6 months.
- Effects of isotretinoin on the hair cycle In acne patients on 0.5 mg/kg/day isotretinoin, TrichoScan hair parameters did not change significantly over 3 months, suggesting no short-term hair-cycle harm at moderate doses.
- Review of Human Hair Follicle Biology: Dynamics of Niches and Stem Cell Regulation for Possible Therapeutic Hair Stimulation for Plastic Surgeons A review for plastic surgeons covers androgenetic alopecia biology, follicle stem cell niches and current and emerging treatments such as PRP and growth factors.
- Effects of a New Topical Treatment Containing Several Hair Growth Promoters in Women with Early Female Pattern Hair Loss In 49 women with early female pattern hair loss, twice-daily Spectral.DNC-N reduced shedding and increased hair mass over 3-6 months, without a control group.
- The rise of transcutaneous drug delivery for the management of alopecia: a review of existing literature and an eye towards the future A review of 8 studies finds microneedling or fractional laser plus topical drugs improved regrowth over topicals alone in most studies, but evidence is preliminary.
- Intralesional pentoxifylline injection in localized alopecia areata A 75-patient trial found combined intralesional triamcinolone-pentoxifylline outperformed either alone for localized alopecia areata.
- Novel effect of sildenafil on hair growth Sildenafil proliferated human dermal papilla cells, raised VEGF and PDGF, and accelerated anagen with new vessel formation in mice, suggesting repurposing potential for alopecia.
- Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy for Male and Female Pattern Hair Loss a review of platelet-rich plasma therapy for male and female pattern hair loss.
- High-throughput T cell receptor sequencing identifies clonally expanded CD8+ T cell populations in alopecia areata T-cell sequencing shows tofacitinib reduces clonally expanded CD8+ cells in alopecia areata, but many persist, possibly explaining relapse.
- Single-center analysis of patients with frontal fibrosing alopecia: evidence for hypothyroidism and a good quality of life Twelve frontal fibrosing alopecia patients showed association with hypothyroidism and good quality of life despite no effective therapy.
- Sebaceous gland abnormalities in fatty acyl CoA reductase 2 (Far2) null mice result in primary cicatricial alopecia Far2-null mice develop sebaceous gland abnormalities leading to scarring alopecia.
- Effects of mesenchymal stem cell therapy on alopecia areata in cellular and hair follicle organ culture models In an in vitro alopecia areata model, human mesenchymal stem cells protected dermal papilla cells, activated Wnt signalling and modulated immune-privilege markers.
- Algorithmic approach to the treatment of frontal fibrosing alopecia: A systematic review a systematic review proposing an algorithmic approach to treating frontal fibrosing alopecia.
- Sunscreen and facial skincare products in frontal fibrosing alopecia: a case–control study A case-control study compares sunscreen and skincare use between women with frontal fibrosing alopecia and matched androgenetic-alopecia controls.
- An update of the pathogenesis of frontal fibrosing alopecia: What does the current evidence tell us? A review summarizes evidence that immune privilege collapse, PPAR-gamma depletion, genetics and hormones drive frontal fibrosing alopecia, with environmental triggers still unproven.
- Involvement of the central hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in hair growth and melanogenesis among different mouse strains Chronic restraint stress inhibited hair growth and pigmentation via the central HPA axis in mice, with strain-dependent responses.
- Extracellular proteoglycan decorin maintains human hair follicle stem cells In human follicle samples and cultures, the proteoglycan decorin maintains hair follicle stem cells, and its age-related decline may contribute to age-related hair loss.
- Sequential cyclic changes of hair roots revealed by dermoscopy demonstrate a progressive mechanism of diffuse alopecia areata over time Dermoscopy of 23 diffuse alopecia areata patients shows it begins as anagen effluvium with intense inflammation, then progresses through catagen and telogen/exogen shedding stages.
- Alteration of serum and tissue tumor necrosis factor alpha levels: A possible mechanism of action of oral pulse steroids in the treatment of alopecia areata In 20 alopecia areata patients, oral pulse steroids cut serum and tissue TNF-alpha, with reductions correlating with clinical improvement.
- The value of dermoscopy in diagnosing eyebrow loss in patients with alopecia areata and frontal fibrosing alopecia Dermoscopy of eyebrow loss distinguishes alopecia areata (exclamation hairs, black dots) from frontal fibrosing alopecia (dystrophic hairs, white areas).
- Effect of tofacitinib on the expression of noggin/BMP-4 and hair growth stimulation in mice In mice, topical tofacitinib raised noggin and BMP4 expression and promoted anagen entry more than minoxidil, suggesting a growth-phase mechanism.
- Comparison of Healthy and Dandruff Scalp Microbiome Reveals the Role of Commensals in Scalp Health Scalp microbiome comparison in 140 Indian women links dandruff to dysbiosis and loss of beneficial commensals.
- Study on Hair Distribution in Healthy Males for Hair Restoration Design In 1000 healthy Chinese men, mapping of hairlines, whorls, density and follicular units provides reference data for hair restoration design.
- Annurca Apple Polyphenols Ignite Keratin Production in Hair Follicles by Inhibiting the Pentose Phosphate Pathway and Amino Acid Oxidation In mouse follicles, Annurca apple polyphenols shifted metabolism away from amino-acid oxidation toward keratin production, explaining their hair-promoting effect.
- Single-Cell Transcriptomics of Traced Epidermal and Hair Follicle Stem Cells Reveals Rapid Adaptations during Wound Healing Single-cell transcriptomics in mice shows hair follicle and epidermal stem cells rapidly adapt identities during wound healing.
- Hair Regrowth in a Patient With Long-standing Alopecia Totalis and Atopic Dermatitis Treated With Dupilumab