Treatment of Severe Alopecia Areata with Intralesional Steroid Injections

October 2009 in “ PubMed ”

Kyung Hee Chang, Salinee Rojhirunsakool, Lynne J. Goldberg

alopecia areata intralesional steroid injections triamcinolone acetonide exclamation mark hairs hair pull test topical anesthetic reversible atrophy steroid injections triamcinolone topical pain relief

TLDR Intralesional steroid injections are safe and effective for treating severe alopecia areata.

The study reviewed the treatment of extensive alopecia areata (over 50% but under 99% scalp involvement) with intralesional triamcinolone acetonide injections. Out of 10 patients, 6 responded positively to the treatment, particularly those with exclamation mark hairs and a positive hair pull test. Complications were minimal, with only mild reversible atrophy in 3 patients. The treatment was well tolerated, and pain was reduced using a topical anesthetic. The study concluded that intralesional triamcinolone acetonide is a safe and effective treatment for extensive alopecia areata, especially in patients showing specific initial physical examination signs.

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