A new approach to treating scarring alopecia by hair transplantation and topical minoxidil

In 2009, a study was conducted on six patients (one male and five females) aged between 15-30 years with scarring alopecia, a condition that permanently destroys hair follicles and causes hair loss. The researchers used a two-stage treatment approach: autologous hair transplantation using the follicular unit extraction technique, followed by the application of a 5% minoxidil solution for six months. All patients successfully accepted the graft, with the largest repaired alopecia area being 240 cm² and the smallest 10 cm². The maximum graft uptake was 70% in the case of lichen plano pilaris. The study concluded that the combined use of hair auto grafting and topical minoxidil 5% appears to be an effective method to treat irreversible alopecia. However, one side effect observed was a change in the normal hair direction in one case.