Comparative Trial on Efficacy of Topical Contact Immunotherapy with Dinitrochlorobenzene and Diphenylcyclopropenone in Alopecia Areata
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Studysummary This study found that diphenylcyclopropenone (DPCP) was more effective and better tolerated than dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) in promoting hair regrowth in patients with alopecia areata. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The study involved 30 patients with alopecia areata (AA) who were divided into two groups to receive either dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) or diphenylcyclopropenone (DPCP) as a treatment. The results indicated that DPCP was significantly more effective, with 86.7% of patients in the DPCP group experiencing substantial hair regrowth (grade III and IV), compared to only 33.3% in the DNCB group. Additionally, complete hair regrowth (grade IV) was achieved by 33.3% of patients in the DPCP group by the sixth month, while only 6.7% of patients in the DNCB group reached this level of regrowth. The study concluded that DPCP is a more effective and better-tolerated treatment for AA than DNCB, with fewer side effects reported, such as blistering and lymphadenopathy in 10% of cases.
