Local Injection of Steroids and Hair Regrowth in Alopecias

The document discusses the use of steroids in treating alopecia, highlighting early studies from the 1950s. Dillaha and Rothman reported that 3 out of 4 patients with long-term alopecia areata responded to oral cortisone acetate, with hair regrowth starting after 4 weeks. They also observed patchy regrowth in 16 out of 22 patients with alopecia totalis or universalis. Rony and Cohen found that intradermal injections of hydrocortisone acetate led to local hair regrowth in a patient with alopecia universalis within 4 weeks. However, topical application of hydrocortisone acetate by Sulzberger and colleagues did not result in hair regrowth. The document suggests that various forms of steroid administration have been explored for treating alopecia areata.