One of the Best Treatments for Alopecia Areata Remains Unpublished

June 2018 in “ International Journal of Dermatology ”

Rokea A. el‐Azhary

2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene DNCB alopecia areata AA dibutyl squaric acid diphenylcyclopropenone DPCP Janus kinase inhibitors JAK inhibitors

TLDR DNCB is highly effective for treating alopecia areata with minimal long-term side effects.

The editorial highlighted the effectiveness of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) as a sensitizer for treating alopecia areata (AA), a method used extensively by Dr. Sigfrid Muller at the Mayo Clinic. Despite its mutagenic potential indicated by the Ames test, DNCB provided long-term hair regrowth for many patients without significant adverse effects over 25 years. Although newer sensitizers like dibutyl squaric acid and diphenylcyclopropenone (DPCP) are available, they were less effective. The editorial also mentioned the promising results of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors for AA but raised concerns about their long-term safety and cost.

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Research cited in this study

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An Open-Label Pilot Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Tofacitinib in Moderate to Severe Patch-Type Alopecia Areata, Totalis, and Universalis

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