Reply To: Is Melatonin Useful In Alopecia: Critical Appraisal Of A Randomized Trial?

August 2005 in “ British journal of dermatology/British journal of dermatology, Supplement ”

Tobias W. Fischer, Peter Elsner

melatonin alopecia diffuse alopecia androgenetic alopecia anagen hair nonanagen hair placebo

TLDR Melatonin may help treat hair loss and needs more research.

The document discussed a critical appraisal of a pilot study on the use of melatonin for treating alopecia in women. The study involved 40 patients (28 with diffuse alopecia and 12 with androgenetic alopecia), with half receiving melatonin and half receiving a placebo. The authors defended their methodology and clarified that the primary endpoint was the odds ratio of anagen to nonanagen hair count, which showed a significant increase in anagen hair for the melatonin group. Despite criticisms, the authors argued that the results were encouraging, suggesting melatonin as a potential treatment for hair loss, warranting further research with a larger sample size.

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research EEMCO Guidance for the Assessment of Hair Shedding and Alopecia

51 citations, January 2004 in “Skin Pharmacology and Physiology”

The document explains hair growth and shedding, factors affecting it, and methods to evaluate hair loss, emphasizing the importance of skin biopsy for diagnosis.

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