Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: Treatment with Oral Dutasteride and Topical Pimecrolimus

August 2008 in “ Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology ”

Alexander C. Katoulis, S. Georgala, E. Bozi, Evangelia Papadavid, Dimitris Kalogeromitros, Nikolaos Stavrianeas

frontal fibrosing alopecia oral dutasteride pimecrolimus calcineurin inhibitor FFA Avodart Elidel

TLDR Oral dutasteride and topical pimecrolimus can safely and effectively treat Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia, leading to significant hair regrowth.

In 2009, a 55-year-old woman with Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA) was treated with 0.5 mg of oral dutasteride daily for 6 months and pimecrolimus 1% cream twice daily for 3 months. The treatment resulted in significant hair regrowth in the eyebrows and axillae, and moderate improvement in the scalp. The only side effect reported was constipation. No recurrences were observed 6 months post-treatment. The study concluded that combining oral dutasteride with a topical calcineurin inhibitor could be a safe and effective treatment for FFA.

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Research cited in this study

7 / 7 results

The Importance of Dual 5α-Reductase Inhibition in the Treatment of Male Pattern Hair Loss: Results of a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study of Dutasteride Versus Finasteride

research The Importance of Dual 5α-Reductase Inhibition in the Treatment of Male Pattern Hair Loss: Results of a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study of Dutasteride Versus Finasteride

215 citations, November 2006 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

Dutasteride more effective for hair growth, but has more side effects than finasteride.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia Versus Lichen Planopilaris: A Clinicopathological Study

126 citations, April 2006 in “International Journal of Dermatology”

The conclusion is that FFA and LPP have similar scalp biopsy features, making them hard to distinguish histologically, and FFA may be a specific kind of scarring hair loss.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: A Survey in 16 Patients

123 citations, August 2005 in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology”

The study found that Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia affects a broader age range of women and early treatment can help stop hair loss.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia in Postmenopausal Women

179 citations, December 2004 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

Some postmenopausal women with frontal fibrosing alopecia stopped losing hair with finasteride treatment, hinting at a possible hormonal cause.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia Associated with Cutaneous Lichen Planus in a Premenopausal Woman

89 citations, February 2002 in “Australasian journal of dermatology”

A premenopausal woman had hair loss and skin issues, treated with topical steroids.

research Fibrosing Alopecia in a Pattern Distribution

158 citations, February 2000 in “Archives of dermatology”

Some people with pattern hair loss may also have scalp inflammation and scarring similar to lichen planopilaris.

research Postmenopausal Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: A Frontal Variant of Lichen Planopilaris

329 citations, January 1997 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

Frontal fibrosing alopecia is a hair loss condition in postmenopausal women, similar to lichen planopilaris, with ineffective treatments.

Related Community Posts Join

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community Fibrosing alopecia in a pattern distribution

in Research/Science 14 upvotes 8 months ago

A user has been experiencing hair loss for 4 years, with treatments like minoxidil, finasteride, and various supplements proving ineffective. They were diagnosed with fibrosing alopecia in a pattern distribution, a condition that may require a combination of anti-inflammatory and hair growth treatments.

community I’ve been on dutesteride and oral minoxidil for two years now and I’ve only lost ground… 25m What should I do?

in Treatment 33 upvotes 7 months ago

A user on dutasteride and oral minoxidil for two years has experienced worsening hair loss and an itchy scalp. Suggestions include increasing medication doses, trying other treatments like RU58841, getting a scalp biopsy, and addressing potential inflammation through diet and topical treatments.

community Diffuse hair loss and scalp biopsies

in Research 692 upvotes 3 months ago

Scalp biopsies are crucial for diagnosing hair loss conditions like Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA) and retrograde hair loss, as treatments like finasteride and dutasteride may not be effective if other conditions are present. Combining PPAR-GAMMA agonists with retinoids could improve treatments for conditions like Lichen Planopilaris.

community 9 months on Fin - no progress , should I get on Dutasteride?

in Chat 10 upvotes 2 weeks ago

The user has been using finasteride, minoxidil, and nizoral for hair loss but hasn't seen regrowth, only maintenance. They are considering switching to dutasteride, which is believed to be more effective, but are concerned about potential side effects.

community Diffuse thinning is so brutal.

in Styling 72 upvotes 1 year ago

A 25-year-old with AGA experienced hair thinning and dandruff, stabilized with topical finasteride and minoxidil but saw minimal regrowth. They seek advice on styling and consider oral minoxidil and microneedling for denser hair.

community How essential is scalp biopsy when dealing with hair loss?

in Treatment 6 upvotes 4 weeks ago

The user experienced hair loss despite using Fin and Min for 12 years and switched to Dutasteride, RU58841, and Keto scalp serum, but shedding and itch persist. They are considering increasing Dutasteride to 2.5mg and questioning the necessity of a scalp biopsy, with mixed opinions on its usefulness.

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