Clinical Translation of Microbiome Research in Alopecia Areata: A New Perspective

May 2022 in “ Cosmetics ”

Fabio Rinaldi, Anna Trink, Angela Papale, Giammaria Giuliani, Daniela Pinto

TLDR Further research is needed to understand how the microbiome affects hair loss in Alopecia Areata.

The research paper explores the role of the microbiome in Alopecia Areata (AA), an autoimmune hair loss disorder. It suggests that gut and skin dysbiosis could contribute to AA and highlights the use of omic techniques to study the microbiome's role. The paper proposes potential treatments such as topical applications to control overexpressed species or promote beneficial bacteria, and systemic approaches like oral supplementation, diet, or faecal transplantation. The study identified 10 significantly different pathways in the dermis and hypodermis of AA subjects compared to healthy ones. The paper also discusses the role of vitamin D deficiency in AA and the potential use of topical probiotics, paraprobiotics, and postbiotics in treating AA. However, it concludes that further research is needed to better understand the microbiome's role in AA.

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Research cited in this study

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37 citations , June 2018 in “Clinical and Experimental Medicine”

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A boy with alopecia regrew hair using a vitamin D cream after other treatments failed.

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Hair follicles prevent NK cell attacks to avoid hair loss.

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