Comparative Study of Efficacy of Excimer Light Therapy vs. Intralesional Triamcinolone vs. Topical 5% Minoxidil for Alopecia Areata: An Observational Study

In a 2014 observational study involving 100 patients with alopecia areata, three treatments were compared: excimer light therapy, intralesional triamcinolone, and 5% topical minoxidil. The study found intralesional triamcinolone to be the most effective, with 76.67% of patients with a single patch and 62.5% with multiple patches achieving over 50% hair regrowth. Excimer light therapy resulted in over 50% hair regrowth in 61.76% of patients with a single patch and 16.67% with multiple patches. Topical minoxidil was least effective, with 33.33% of patients with a single patch and none with multiple patches achieving over 50% regrowth. The study also found that the scalp responded better to treatment than the beard area.