TLDR 308-nm excimer light therapy helped over a third of treatment-resistant alopecia universalis patients regrow most of their hair.
In a study from 2011 to 2013 involving 11 patients with treatment-resistant alopecia universalis (AU), 308-nm excimer light therapy administered at 2-week intervals for over 16 sessions resulted in 36.4% of patients experiencing more than 70% hair regrowth, while 18.2% had poor responses. The therapy was particularly effective for patients with Japanese skin type 1 and those under 40 years of age at the onset of AU and the start of treatment. The study suggests that this therapy could be an alternative treatment for some AU patients, especially when high doses are used to induce a strong inflammatory skin reaction. However, the small sample size warrants further research, and the safety of the therapy in terms of long-term malignancy risk remains to be fully assessed.
62 citations,
June 2015 in “The Journal of Dermatology” People with alopecia areata have more Th17 cells and fewer Treg cells, which may be key to the condition's development.
30 citations,
January 2015 in “Dermatology” 308-nm excimer laser therapy helps regrow hair in alopecia areata.
421 citations,
April 2012 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune condition causing hair loss with no cure and treatments that often don't work well.
37 citations,
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275 citations,
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105 citations,
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49 citations,
May 2018 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” Applying 2% tofacitinib cream helped some children with severe hair loss grow back hair.
24 citations,
June 2016 in “Acta dermato-venereologica” Tofacitinib helped a young woman's severe hair loss and arthritis but not her plaque psoriasis.
13 citations,
April 2016 in “Journal of Dermatology” 308-nm excimer light therapy helped over a third of treatment-resistant alopecia universalis patients regrow most of their hair.
