Efficacy of Intradermal Minoxidil 5% Injections for Treatment of Patchy Non-Severe Alopecia Areata

In 2020, Mahmoud Abd El-Rahim Abdallah, Rasha Shareef & Marwa Y. Soltan conducted a study involving 20 patients with 100 patches of non-severe alopecia areata (AA). They tested the efficacy of intradermal minoxidil 5% injections, intralesional triamcinolone acetonide, a combination of both, and micro-needling. The results indicated that intradermal minoxidil was nearly as effective as micro-needling and its combination with steroids did not enhance the effect. However, hair regrowth due to minoxidil occurred earlier than spontaneous recovery. The study concluded that while minoxidil alone had limited efficacy in treating non-severe patchy AA, it could speed up the recovery process. The study did not support the use of minoxidil in combination with steroids for patchy non-severe AA. Less invasive methods like intralesional minoxidil or micro-needling were suggested for patients who refuse or have contraindications to standard corticosteroid treatment.