Harnessing the Power of Regenerative Therapy for Vitiligo and Alopecia Areata

    Chauncey C. Barbulescu, Nathaniel B. Goldstein, Dennis R. Roop, David A. Norris, Stanca A. Birlea
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    TLDR Regenerative therapies show promise for treating vitiligo and alopecia areata.
    This review discussed the regenerative medicine aspects of vitiligo and alopecia areata (AA), focusing on experimental data from human, mouse, and in vitro models. It summarized key pathways involved in repopulating the epidermis with melanocytes in vitiligo and regrowing hair follicles in AA. Treatments like JAK inhibitors and bimatoprost were found to stimulate cell repopulation in both diseases, while intralesional injections of autologous concentrated platelet-rich plasma and minoxidil showed benefits in AA. Phototherapy with narrowband UVB was effective in vitiligo. Future treatments may involve mobilizing stem cells to regenerate anagen hair follicles in AA and intraepidermal melanocytes in vitiligo.
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