Efficacy of Isotretinoin and Acitretin in Treatment of Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: Retrospective Analysis of 54 Cases
October 2017
in “
PubMed
”
New to Finasteride? There is a guide in the encyclopedia. Read the guide → Studysummary According to this study, systemic retinoids, specifically oral isotretinoin and acitretin, were more effective than finasteride in stabilizing the frontal hairline in female patients with frontal fibrosing alopecia, achieving treatment goals in over 70% of cases. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
This retrospective study evaluated the efficacy of systemic retinoids in treating frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) in 54 female patients. The patients were treated with oral isotretinoin (29 patients), acitretin (11 patients), or finasteride (14 patients) over a period of 12-16 months. The primary goal was to halt disease progression after 12 months, which was achieved by 76% of isotretinoin, 73% of acitretin, and 43% of finasteride patients. The secondary goal, maintaining disease stabilization post-treatment, was achieved by 72% of isotretinoin, 73% of acitretin, and 43% of finasteride patients. The study concluded that systemic retinoids could be beneficial for stabilizing the frontal hairline in FFA patients.
