Treatment of Alopecia Areata with Topical Corticosteroid: Double-Blind Randomized Prospective Study in Children

In a study from 1996 to 1998 involving 35 children with alopecia areata, treatment with 0.05% betamethasone dipropionate cream was compared to a placebo in a double-blind controlled trial. After six months, 85.7% of the participants showed a positive response, but there was no significant difference between the treatment and placebo groups (p = 0.47). Additionally, the presence of atopy did not significantly influence the treatment outcome (p = 0.19). The study concluded that betamethasone dipropionate was not more effective than placebo in treating alopecia areata in children and that atopic conditions did not affect the response to treatment. Side effects were minimal, with folliculitis occurring in 17.6% of patients in the treatment group.