Four of eight patients with alopecia areata (AA) experienced 30 percent to 100 percent hair regrowth following treatment with a fractional nonablative laser and topical minoxidil (5 percent). Researchers Yuanhong Li, MD, PhD, et al, from the department of dermatology, Hospital of China Medical University in Shenyang, China, performed 10 laser treatments every two weeks (10 to 15 mJ of energy with a total intensity of 300 spots/cm2). Topical minoxidil tincture was applied immediately following each laser treatment and used twice daily throughout the treatment regimen.
One to two months after treatment, they observed new hair regrowth with complete regrowth in two patients, and 30 percent and 50 percent regrowth in the lesions of two children with alopecia universalis. At one-year followup only one patient had a relapse of AA.
The study was published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (June 6, 2019)
