Efficacy of Betamethasone Valerate Foam Formulation in Comparison with Betamethasone Dipropionate Lotion in the Treatment of Mild-to-Moderate Alopecia Areata: A Multicenter, Prospective, Randomized, Controlled, Investigator-Blinded Trial

In a study from 2003, 61 patients with mild-to-moderate alopecia areata were treated with either betamethasone valerate foam (BVF) or betamethasone dipropionate lotion (BDL) to compare their effectiveness. The patients, consisting of 26 men and 35 women with an average age of 41, were treated twice daily for 12 weeks and observed for an additional 8 weeks. The primary measure of success was the hair regrowth score (RGS), which ranged from 0 (<10% regrowth) to 4 (>75% regrowth). By week 20, the BVF group showed a significantly higher RGS (3.1 ± 1.5) than the BDL group (1.8 ± 1.6), with 61% of the BVF group achieving an RGS greater than 3 compared to 27% in the BDL group. No serious side effects were reported. The study concluded that BVF is an effective and safe treatment for mild-to-moderate alopecia areata and could be considered a first-line therapy. Further research was suggested to compare BVF with or combine it with other treatments for alopecia areata.