Exacerbation of Alopecia Areata: A Possible Complication of Sodium Tetradecyl Sulphate Foam Sclerotherapy Treatment for Varicose Veins

In 2017, a case report described a 40-year-old woman with alopecia areata who experienced worsening of her condition after receiving sodium tetradecyl sulphate (STS) foam sclerotherapy for varicose veins. The patient, who had a history of alopecia areata since age 13, triggered by stress or hormonal changes, had previously responded to steroid injections. Following her first sclerotherapy treatment, she noticed moderate hair shedding, and after a second session seven months later, she suffered a severe exacerbation of hair loss. However, an endovenous laser ablation procedure, which did not use STS, did not cause hair shedding. The authors proposed that the temporal association between the STS treatments and the alopecia areata exacerbations suggests a potential link, but a causal relationship could not be confirmed. They encouraged further reporting of similar cases to assess whether this is an uncommon side effect of STS sclerotherapy.