Treatment of Severe Alopecia Areata With Intralesional Steroid Injections
October 2009 | Volume 8 | Issue 10 | Original Article | 909 | Copyright © October 2009
Kyung Hee Chang MD PhD, Salinee Rojhirunsakool MD, Lynne J. Goldberg MD
Observations: A review of patients with extensive alopecia areata was done. Six out of 10 patients responded to treatment with intralesional triamcinolone acetonide. In comparison to the non-responders, the responders tended to have exclamation mark hairs and a positive hair pull test at their initial physical examination, and exhibited improvement during the initial months of treatment. Complications were negligible, with mild reversible atrophy in three patients. The treatment was well tolerated and, in some patients, pain was minimized by use of a topical anesthetic agent applied under occlusion prior to the visit.
Conclusion: Intralesional triamcinolone acetonide is a safe and effective treatment for patients with extensive alopecia areata. Patients with exclamation point hairs and a positive hair pull test may be more likely to respond.