A Comparative Study of the Outcomes of Potent Topical Steroids Versus Topical Tretinoin in Patchy Alopecia Areata of the Scalp

In a study conducted in 2019, 50 patients with localized alopecia areata of the scalp were treated with either 0.05% betamethasone dipropionate (BMD) cream or 0.05% tretinoin cream for 12 weeks. The results showed that 72% of patients treated with BMD showed significant clinical improvement, compared to 36% of patients treated with tretinoin. The study concluded that while 0.05% BMD is the most effective and economical topical treatment for less extensive forms of alopecia areata, topical 0.05% tretinoin also provides a fairly good response. However, further studies with tretinoin were recommended to establish its role in limited alopecia areata.