Prescribing Patterns Amongst UK Dermatologists for the Treatment of Alopecia Areata, Female Pattern Hair Loss, and Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

October 2024 in “ JEADV Clinical Practice ”

John Frewen, Dalia Saidely Alsaadi, Leila Asfour, Sharon Belmo, Alyson Bryden, Caroline Champagne, Nicola A. Clayton, N Cooke, Donna Cummins, David Fairhurst, Paul Farrant, G. Hale, Susan Holmes, Thomas Harries, Ruth Ellen Jones, S. Karanovic, Manjit R. Kaur, Nekma Meah, Megan Mowbray, Archana Rao, Nasim Rouhani, Nicola Salmon, Anita Takwale, Martin Wade, Sharon L. Wong, Shirin Zaheri, Yusur Al‐Nuaimi, Matthew Harries

alopecia areata female pattern hair loss frontal fibrosing alopecia topical corticosteroids intralesional corticosteroids oral corticosteroids minoxidil hydroxychloroquine AA FPHL FFA Rogaine

TLDR UK dermatologists commonly use corticosteroids and minoxidil to treat hair loss conditions.

The study surveyed 26 UK dermatologists to understand their prescribing patterns for treating hair loss conditions such as alopecia areata (AA), female pattern hair loss (FPHL), and frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA). For mild-moderate AA, 65% used topical corticosteroids as the first-line treatment, with 82% finding intralesional corticosteroids most effective. In severe AA cases, 38% used oral corticosteroids first-line, with 25% considering them most effective. For FPHL, 84% used topical minoxidil first-line, while 42% found oral minoxidil most effective. For FFA, 62% used topical corticosteroids first-line, with 37% favoring hydroxychloroquine as the most effective treatment. The findings aim to aid clinicians in making informed decisions for managing hair loss.

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