July 202345
Oral amla in women was found in a randomized trial to increase the anagen-to-telogen ratio versus placebo in pattern hair loss. Cetosomal minoxidil with topical finasteride was reported to beat minoxidil alone, with significant-to-excellent improvement in 68% of patients. An expert consensus on hair transplantation recommended adequate medical treatment before surgery and close follow-up for one year. An update on androgenetic alopecia noted only finasteride and minoxidil are FDA-approved and post-finasteride syndrome can persist after stopping. A PRP systematic review concluded non-standardized preparation prevents firm conclusions on effectiveness. A machine-learning trichoscopy model classified alopecia severity with 90% accuracy. Ritlecitinib in adolescents with alopecia areata produced near-full scalp coverage in 17–28% versus 0% on placebo.
- The effect of an oral product containing Amla fruit (Phyllanthus emblica L.) on female androgenetic alopecia: A randomized controlled trial In a 60-woman randomized trial, oral amla syrup for 12 weeks significantly increased the anagen-to-telogen ratio versus placebo in female androgenetic alopecia.
- Androgenetic alopecia: An update A review of androgenetic alopecia notes only finasteride and minoxidil are FDA-approved, adherence is poor, and post-finasteride syndrome can persist after stopping.
- An international expert consensus statement focusing on pre and post hair transplantation care A 38-expert international consensus recommends adequate medical treatment before hair transplant, stopping bleeding-risk drugs, and close follow-up for the first year.
- Real-World Effectiveness, Safety, and Tolerability of Cetosomal Minoxidil 5% Alone and a Fixed Drug Combination of Cetosomal Minoxidil 5% With Finasteride 0.1% in the Management of Androgenetic Alopecia (Inbilt Study) In 261 Indian AGA patients, cetosomal minoxidil 5% with topical finasteride 0.1% gave significant-to-excellent improvement in 68% with good tolerability, beating minoxidil alone.
- A Machine Learning Algorithm Applied to Trichoscopy for Androgenic Alopecia Staging and Severity Assessment A machine-learning model using three trichoscopic patterns classified mild versus moderate-severe androgenic alopecia with 90% test accuracy in 200 patients.
- Persistent Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia Treated With Low Dose Oral Minoxidil: A Multicenter Retrospective Case Series of 15 Patients a multicenter retrospective case series of 15 patients with persistent chemotherapy-induced alopecia treated with low-dose oral minoxidil.
- Female Pattern Hair Loss and Negative Psychological Impact: Possible Role of Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) In a case-control study, women with female pattern hair loss had lower serum BDNF and higher depression and stress scores than controls.
- Comparing Current Therapeutic Modalities of Androgenic Alopecia: A Literature Review of Clinical Trials A literature review surveys AGA causes, diagnosis and treatments including minoxidil, finasteride, PRP, light therapy, transplants and emerging options.
- Fabrication of carboxymethyl cellulose/hyaluronic acid/polyvinylpyrrolidone composite pastes incorporation of minoxidil-loaded ferulic acid-derived lignin nanoparticles and valproic acid for treatment of androgenetic alopecia In AGA mice, a microneedle-assisted paste of minoxidil nanoparticles plus valproic acid regenerated hair faster than minoxidil alone at lower dosing frequency.
- FDA approves Pfizer's JAK inhibitor for adolescents with alopecia areata hair loss the FDA approved Pfizer's JAK inhibitor ritlecitinib for adolescents with alopecia areata.
- Dissolving microneedles for alopecia treatment A review describes dissolving microneedle strategies that improve drug penetration and show promising alopecia treatment effects, though clinical translation needs more study.
- The In Vivo and In Vitro Effects of <i>Terminalia bellirica</i> (Gaertn.) Roxb. Fruit Extract on Testosterone-Induced Hair Loss In mice and cultured cells, oral Terminalia bellirica extract reversed testosterone-induced hair loss, with effects reportedly greater than finasteride.
- Major improvement of very severe alopecia areata in patients treated with the combination of baricitinib and low doses of corticosteroids: an eight-case series In an eight-patient series, baricitinib plus tapering low-dose prednisone gave complete hair regrowth in seven of eight women with very severe alopecia areata.
- Garlic Exosomes Promote Hair Growth Through the Wnt/β-catenin Pathway and Growth Factors In rats, garlic-derived exosomes increased anagen follicle counts and follicle diameter via Wnt/β-catenin, VEGF, PDGF and TGF-β1 signaling.
- Efficacy and safety of ritlecitinib in adolescents with alopecia areata: Results from the ALLEGRO phase 2b/3 randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial In the ALLEGRO trial, 17–28% of adolescents on ritlecitinib reached near-full scalp coverage at 24 weeks versus 0% on placebo, rising by week 48.
- Traditional Chinese Medicine Shi-Bi-Man regulates lactic acid metabolism and drives hair follicle stem cell activation to promote hair regeneration In cynomolgus monkeys, the traditional Chinese medicine Shi-Bi-Man promoted hair regeneration by boosting lactic acid metabolism and activating hair follicle stem cells.
- The relative efficacy of monotherapy with Janus kinase inhibitors, dupilumab and apremilast in adults with alopecia areata: Network meta‐analyses of clinical trials A network meta-analysis ranked oral JAK inhibitors as most effective for alopecia areata, with dupilumab and apremilast least likely to work.
- Platelet-Rich Plasma for Treating Androgenic Alopecia: A Systematic Review A systematic review found PRP evidence for androgenic alopecia undermined by non-standardized preparation protocols, preventing firm conclusions on effectiveness.
- Retrospective review of oral and topical minoxidil for cancer treatment-induced hair loss a retrospective review of oral and topical minoxidil for cancer treatment-induced hair loss.
- Effects of photobiomodulation at various irradiances on normal and dihydrotestosterone‐treated human hair dermal papilla cells in vitro In lab-grown dermal papilla cells, red light at 8 mW/cm² best promoted growth and modulated Wnt, FGF and TGF pathways, with stronger effects in DHT-treated cells.
- Comparison of the Efficacy of Homologous and Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) for Treating Androgenic Alopecia a trial comparing homologous versus autologous platelet-rich plasma for treating androgenic alopecia.
- Evidence Review: Natural Hair Supplements: Biotin and Collagen an evidence review of biotin and collagen hair supplements.
- Mesenchymal stromal cell–derived magnetic nanovesicles for enhanced skin retention and hair follicle growth In mice, magnetic mesenchymal-cell nanovesicles plus a magnetic field increased skin retention and accelerated hair follicle growth.
- BFNB Enhances Hair Growth in C57BL/6 Mice through the Induction of EGF and FGF7 Factors and the PI3K-AKT-β-Catenin Pathway In mice, topical BFNB formulation increased hair growth, follicle number and diameter more than minoxidil, via EGF, FGF7 and PI3K-AKT-β-catenin signaling.
- Integrated single-cell chromatin and transcriptomic analyses of human scalp identify gene-regulatory programs and critical cell types for hair and skin diseases Single-cell scalp analysis links androgenetic alopecia genetic signals to dermal papilla cells, supporting them as drivers of the disease.
- Combination of baricitinib and conventional immunomodulating therapy for alopecia totalis baricitinib combined with conventional immunomodulating therapy for alopecia totalis.
- Hair loss is a symptom of many complex medical and psychological problems An editorial frames hair loss as a symptom needing diagnosis, noting a review found JAK inhibitor side effects in alopecia areata infrequent and mostly mild, though long-term registry data are lacking.
- Health‐related quality of life (hrQoL) among patients with primary cicatricial alopecia (PCA): A systematic review A review found over 70% of patients with primary scarring alopecia report impaired quality of life, worsened by scalp pain and anxiety.
- Systematic review: Impact of stem cells-based therapy, and platelet-rich plasma in hair loss and telogen effluvium related to COVID-19 A systematic review found COVID-19 increased hair loss and telogen effluvium incidence and preliminary effectiveness of PRP and stem-cell therapies without major side effects.
- Beard Alopecia: An Updated and Comprehensive Review of Etiologies, Presentation and Treatment A review covers causes and treatments of beard alopecia, from alopecia areata and infections to rare scarring conditions.
- Psychological Stress-Induced Pathogenesis of Alopecia Areata: Autoimmune and Apoptotic Pathways A review examines how stress neuropeptides substance P and CRH may trigger autoimmune and apoptotic pathways in alopecia areata.
- Platelet-Rich Plasma for Treatment of Hair Loss Improves Patient-Reported Quality of Life A study examines patient-reported quality of life after platelet-rich plasma treatment for hair loss.
- Functional interrogation of lymphocyte subsets in alopecia areata using single-cell RNA sequencing Single-cell sequencing in a mouse model shows CD8+ T cells drive alopecia areata, and depleting only them prevents and reverses disease.
- Application of Autologous Hair Transplantation Technique in Children with Cicatricial Alopecia In 13 children with scarring alopecia, hair transplantation achieved 85.3% graft survival with only one temporary folliculitis complication.
- Markers of Venous Thromboembolism Risk in Patients with Alopecia Areata: Is There Anything to Worry about? In a case-control study, alopecia areata patients had elevated venous thromboembolism markers, suggesting screening may be prudent before and during JAK inhibitor or glucocorticoid therapy.
- Clinical study on the efficacy and tolerability of a topical regenerative treatment in patients with telogen effluvium and mild androgenetic alopecia A study tests a PRP-mimicking topical preparation in patients with telogen effluvium and mild androgenetic alopecia.
- Sensitive Quantitative In Vivo Assay for Evaluating the Effects of Biomolecules on Hair Growth and Coloring Using Direct Microinjections into Mouse Whisker Follicles A new mouse whisker microinjection assay sensitively measured hair-growth effects of minoxidil and other molecules and identified Nbl1 as a novel growth inhibitor.
- Efficacy of mesalazine in children with moderate to severe alopecia areata: case series of 18 patients In a pediatric case series, most of 14 evaluable children with moderate to severe alopecia areata responded to mesalazine over 6–12 months.
- Single cell analysis of transcriptome and open chromatin reveals the dynamics of hair follicle stem cell aging In mice, single-cell profiling maps how hair follicle stem cell states and chromatin accessibility shift with aging.
- Natural Hair Supplements: Biotin and Collagen a review covers biotin and collagen as natural hair supplements.
- Organ function is preserved despite reorganization of niche architecture in the hair follicle In mice, dermal papilla niche architecture improves hair follicle efficiency but is not essential for hair production.
- Imaging Tools for Noninvasive Hair Assessment A review describes four noninvasive hair-imaging tools — global photography, trichoscopy, RCM, OCT — with applications and limitations for diagnosis and monitoring.
- Adjuvant Scalp Rolling for Patients With Refractory Alopecia Areata Dermatology practice points present scalp rolling as a safe, affordable potential adjuvant for refractory alopecia areata.
- Multi-wave punch for follicular unit excision hair transplantation surgery A review describes a new multi-wave punch for follicular unit excision designed to ease extraction and reduce follicular damage.
- Treatment Response to Diphenylcyclopropenone in Patients with Alopecia Totalis/Universalis In 18 patients with alopecia totalis/universalis, DPCP immunotherapy gave over 75% regrowth in a third; 55.5% had notable but tolerable side effects.