A Case Report of Alopecia Totalis Associated with Permanent Hair Dye Use

June 2020 in “ JAAD case reports ”

Leila Asadi, Leonard Harry Goldberg, Ming H. Jih

alopecia totalis permanent hair dye alopecia areata autoimmune condition immune privilege hair follicles inflammatory hair loss autoreactive T cells hair dye hair loss immune system T cells

Studysummary This study presents a rare case of alopecia totalis occurring after the use of permanent hair dye. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

This case report described an unusual instance of alopecia totalis following the use of permanent hair dye. Alopecia areata (AA) was noted as an autoimmune condition with an unknown cause, potentially triggered by a breakdown in the immune privilege of hair follicles, leading to inflammatory hair loss due to autoreactive T cells. The report highlighted the potential link between the use of permanent hair dye and the onset of alopecia totalis in this specific case.

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Research cited in this study

4 / 4 results

research Cyclosporine for Moderate-to-Severe Alopecia Areata: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial of Efficacy and Safety

44 citations , April 2019 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

This study observed that cyclosporine showed a trend toward improving alopecia areata symptoms compared to placebo, but the difference was not statistically significant.

research Treatment of Persistent Alopecia Areata with Sulfasalazine

45 citations , July 2008 in “International Journal of Dermatology”

This study found that oral sulfasalazine led to varying hair regrowth outcomes in patients with persistent alopecia areata, with 56.3% showing moderate to good responses.

research Alopecia Areata: Treatment of Today and Tomorrow

48 citations , June 2003 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings”

This review assesses the effectiveness of various alopecia areata treatments and concludes that only contact sensitizers like diphenylcyclopropenone and squaric acid dibutylester have shown efficacy in evidence-based studies, but it reports no new clinical results.

research The Therapeutic Use of Topical Contact Sensitizers in Benign Dermatoses

60 citations , September 2001 in “British journal of dermatology/British journal of dermatology, Supplement”

This review discusses the use of contact sensitizers in topical immunotherapy for conditions like alopecia areata and viral warts, focusing on treatment methods, efficacy, and potential adverse effects, and reports no new clinical results.