An Overview of Management of Drug-Induced Hair and Nail Disorders

The 2014 document provides a comprehensive review of drug-induced hair and nail disorders, detailing their management, diagnosis, and patient education. It highlights scalp cooling as a preventive measure for chemotherapy-induced alopecia, though it's not effective for all regimens, and notes that hair usually regrows after most alopecia cases, with topical minoxidil helping to speed up the process. Permanent alopecia is possible with certain chemotherapy drugs, potentially due to stem cell damage. Nail disorders are generally less common and resolve post-drug withdrawal, with various changes such as Beau's lines and onycholysis being reversible. The document also discusses newer medications causing hair and nail side effects, the importance of dermatologist recognition and reporting, and the potential for new drugs to continue causing such side effects. Studies and case reports are referenced, including research on permanent alopecia from chemotherapy, the use of vitamin D3 for radiation-induced hair toxicity, and the impact of tyrosine kinase inhibitors on hair depigmentation. Clinical trials are exploring EGFR inhibitors to reduce chemotherapy-induced alopecia.