Dermatol Ther. 2022 Oct 9:e15913. doi: 10.1111/dth.15913. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata (AA) is a disease that affects the psychological well-being of the affected individuals. Laser-assisted drug delivery and micro needling are promising methods for the treatment of different dermatological diseases.
AIM: The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of topical application of triamcinolone acetonide after fractional carbon dioxide laser versus micro-needling in the treatment of resistant alopecia areata from a clinical and dermoscopic perspective.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty patients were randomly divided into two groups of 15 patients each: the Laser group received fractional CO2 laser treatment followed by topical application of triamcinolone acetonide, and the Micro-needling group received dermapen treatment followed by topical application of triamcinolone acetonide.
RESULTS: In our study, we found no statistically significant difference between the studied groups before and after treatment, except for black dot, which is higher in the microneedling group than in the laser group (46.7% versus 13.3%). There is a statistically significant difference between the studied groups in terms of treatment response at the first follow-up, with 13.3% of the laser group seeing terminal hair regrowth compared to 0 in the microneedling group after 12 weeks. Regarding the degree of improvement, there was no statistically significant difference between the laser group and the microneedling group.
CONCLUSION: The use of fractional CO2 laser and microneedling for transepidermal drug delivery (TED) allowed for more uniform drug distribution. There was no significant difference between the two treatment methods in terms of their high effectiveness in the treatment of resistant alopecia areata. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
PMID:36209381 | DOI:10.1111/dth.15913
