Efficacy of Oral Retinoids in Treatment-Resistant Lichen Planopilaris

    October 2014 in “ Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology ”
    Frank C. Spano, Jeff Donovan
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    TLDR Oral retinoids may help some patients with hard-to-treat lichen planopilaris, but more research is needed.
    In a retrospective study at the University of Toronto Hair Clinic, 21 patients with treatment-resistant lichen planopilaris (LPP) were treated with oral retinoids (acitretin or isotretinoin) after not responding to first-line treatments. The study, which spanned from 2009 to 2013, found that 24% (5 of 21) of the patients showed clinical improvement within 2 to 4 months, although the most common side effect was dryness of the skin and mucosae, affecting 43% of the patients. Only 3 of the 5 responders continued the treatment after 13 to 18 months. The study concluded that oral retinoids could be a helpful adjunctive treatment for a small subset of patients with LPP, but the results were limited by the retrospective design and the small number of participants, suggesting the need for more research.
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      community Tretinoin for some men(not all) can cause non-telogen effluvium hair loss

      in Research/Science  2 upvotes 2 weeks ago
      Tretinoin can cause non-telogen hair loss in some men by inducing catagen-like changes in hair follicles and through retinoid toxicity, especially when used with minoxidil. Some users report hair loss even when using retinoids on the face, while others experience benefits when combined with treatments like finasteride and minoxidil.

      community Tretinoin can make it worse!!!

      in Chat  7 upvotes 1 year ago
      Tretinoin may enhance minoxidil's effectiveness for those not responding to minoxidil alone, but it could reduce efficacy for some who are already responding to minoxidil. Tretinoin requires careful use, including skin moisturizing and sun protection due to increased sensitivity.

      community Hair shed after adding tretinoin with topical minoxydil

      in Minoxidil  3 upvotes 7 months ago
      Adding tretinoin to a minoxidil routine can cause initial hair shedding, which may be normal as it potentially increases minoxidil's efficacy. Users suggest being cautious with tretinoin application, especially around microneedling, to avoid increased systemic absorption.

      community Minoxidil works only with Retinoic acid

      in Minoxidil  308 upvotes 1 week ago
      Minoxidil is more effective when combined with retinoic acid, such as tretinoin or tazarotene, enhancing hair growth. Some users experience significant regrowth, while others see minimal effects or side effects.

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