April 201933
Fractional erbium-glass laser plus minoxidil improved hair density and diameter over minoxidil alone in men with pattern hair loss. Topical tretinoin upregulated follicular sulfotransferase, converting predicted minoxidil nonresponders into responders. Follicle stem-cell micrografts raised hair thickness, while PRP raised hair density over baseline. Topical caffeine showed benefit for pattern hair loss, though evidence came from small single-center trials. Fractional lasers appeared to aid regrowth in small series, but RCTs were found lacking. Herbal 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors such as saw palmetto and pumpkin seed had fewer reported side effects. Cyclosporine for alopecia areata beat placebo on regrowth but not significantly. Intralesional steroids and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors gave the best response rates in frontal fibrosing alopecia, and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, steroids, and hydroxychloroquine carried the strongest stabilizing evidence.
- A randomized, investigator-blinded, controlled, split-scalp study of the efficacy and safety of a 1550-nm fractional erbium-glass laser, used in combination with topical 5% minoxidil versus 5% minoxidil alone, for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia In a 30-man split-scalp trial, adding fractional erbium-glass laser to 5% minoxidil significantly improved hair density and diameter versus minoxidil alone.
- Tretinoin enhances minoxidil response in androgenetic alopecia patients by upregulating follicular sulfotransferase enzymes Five days of topical tretinoin upregulated follicular sulfotransferase and converted 43% of predicted minoxidil nonresponders into responders.
- Cyclosporine for moderate-to-severe alopecia areata: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of efficacy and safety In a 32-patient trial, cyclosporine beat placebo on regrowth measures but the differences did not reach statistical significance.
- Lactoferrin promotes hair growth in mice and increases dermal papilla cell proliferation through Erk/Akt and Wnt signaling pathways In mice, bovine lactoferrin stimulated hair growth by promoting dermal papilla cell proliferation via Erk/Akt and Wnt signaling.
- An overview of herbal alternatives in androgenetic alopecia A review summarizes herbal options such as saw palmetto, green tea, pumpkin seed, and rosemary as 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors with fewer reported side effects.
- Platelet-Rich Plasma and Micrografts Enriched with Autologous Human Follicle Mesenchymal Stem Cells Improve Hair Re-Growth in Androgenetic Alopecia. Biomolecular Pathway Analysis and Clinical Evaluation In small patient series, follicle stem-cell micrografts raised hair thickness ~29% and PRP raised hair density ~31% over baseline.
- A Therapeutic Microneedle Patch Made from Hair-Derived Keratin for Promoting Hair Regrowth In mice, a keratin microneedle patch delivering exosomes plus UK5099 produced visible hair regrowth within six days, beating injection or topical dosing.
- Mechanical stretch induces hair regeneration through the alternative activation of macrophages In mice, controlled skin stretching recruited M2 macrophages whose growth factors activated hair stem cells and regenerated hair.
- Medical therapy for frontal fibrosing alopecia: A review and clinical approach A review found intralesional steroids and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors gave the best response rates (88%) in frontal fibrosing alopecia.
- The use of phosphodiesterase inhibitors for the treatment of alopecia A systematic review found topical caffeine 0.2%–2.5% promising for AGA and telogen effluvium, though evidence comes from small single-center trials.
- Frontal fibrosing alopecia: efficacy of treatment modalities A review found 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, intralesional steroids, and hydroxychloroquine have the strongest evidence for stabilizing frontal fibrosing alopecia.
- Laser-assisted Hair Regrowth A review of nine studies suggests fractional lasers aid hair regrowth, but evidence is limited to small series and RCTs are needed.
- HMGB1 promotes hair growth via the modulation of prostaglandin metabolism In cultured human follicles and dermal papilla cells, HMGB1 promoted hair shaft elongation via prostaglandin E2 secretion.
- Computational Drug Discovery in Chemotherapy-induced Alopecia via Text Mining and Biomedical Databases A computational analysis identified 29 existing drugs potentially repositionable as topical treatments for chemotherapy-induced alopecia.
- Pathomechanisms of immune-mediated alopecia A review explains how collapse of hair follicle immune privilege drives alopecia areata and cicatricial alopecia and points to targeted treatments.
- The psychological and aesthetic impact of age‐related hair changes in females A review notes hair density peaks by about age 27 and declines from the mid-thirties, affecting perceived age and appearance.
- EGFR Controls Hair Shaft Differentiation in a p53-Independent Manner In mouse epidermis, EGFR controlled hair shaft differentiation p53-independently; its loss removed LEF1 and disorganized medulla cells.
- Regulatory T‐cells in alopecia areata Regulatory T cells were significantly reduced in alopecia areata biopsies versus other autoimmune and non-autoimmune skin diseases.
- Identification of blood microRNA alterations in patients with severe active alopecia areata Blood profiling in severe active alopecia areata found 36 altered microRNAs, with miR-210 and miR-1246 showing high predictive accuracy.
- Kojyl Cinnamate Ester Derivatives Increase Adiponectin Expression and Stimulate Adiponectin-Induced Hair Growth Factors in Human Dermal Papilla Cells In human fat and dermal papilla cell cultures, kojyl cinnamate esters raised adiponectin and hair growth factor expression.
- Alopecia areata is characterized by dysregulation in systemic type 17 and type 2 cytokines, which may contribute to disease‐associated psychological morbidity Alopecia areata patients showed elevated type 17 and type 2 cytokines, with IL-17E and IL-22 levels predicting depression scores.
- The role of the microbiome in scalp hair follicle biology and disease A review discusses how the hair follicle microbiome may contribute to inflammation in scalp diseases, without concrete clinical conclusions.
- Udenafil Induces the Hair Growth Effect of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells In cell culture and mice, udenafil boosted adipose stem cell growth-factor secretion and anagen induction via ERK and NFκB pathways.
- Scalp bacterial shift in Alopecia areata Scalp sequencing showed alopecia areata patients have more Propionibacterium acnes and less Staphylococcus epidermidis than healthy controls.
- Sustained Human Hair Follicle Growth Ex Vivo in a Glycosaminoglycan Hydrogel Matrix Human follicles grown in a glycosaminoglycan hydrogel stayed proliferative longer, with activated Wnt/β-catenin and stem cell markers.
- [Androgenetic alopecia in women]. an overview of androgenetic alopecia in women, noting diffuse thinning and the need for early diagnosis and treatment.
- [Psychological consequences of hair loss]. describes the psychological consequences of hair loss in androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata.
- miR‐218‐5p regulates skin and hair follicle development through Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway by targeting SFRP2 miR-218-5p promoted hair shaft growth by targeting SFRP2 and activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling in follicle cells.
- Risk of valproic acid-related alopecia: A systematic review and meta-analysis A meta-analysis found valproic acid quintuples alopecia risk (11% incidence) versus other drugs, regardless of dose or treatment duration.
- A systematic simulation-based meta-analytical framework for prediction of physiological biomarkers in alopecia A computational meta-analysis of microarray datasets nominated 12 candidate protein biomarkers for hair loss research.
- Histopathology of aging of the hair follicle A review describes how aging depletes hair bulb melanocytes causing graying, distinct from androgenetic alopecia.
- Blackcurrant Extract with Phytoestrogen Activity Alleviates Hair Loss in Ovariectomized Rats In ovariectomized rats, blackcurrant extract with phytoestrogen activity increased hair numbers and follicle stem-cell marker expression.
- Comparison of efficacy and safety of atorvastatin 5% lotion and betamethasone 0.1% lotion in the treatment of scalp seborrheic dermatitis In 86 seborrheic dermatitis patients, topical atorvastatin 5% matched betamethasone lotion for symptom improvement over four weeks.