During Ethan’s first visit to the dermatologist we had a small patch of hair loss the size of a dime. The doctor thought the hair would grow and that he had “Alopecia Areata” which was a little area of hair loss. The doctor gave him a local steroid injection which was not painful and very quick. Ethan was hopeful as we all were that it would work.
At the time, we did not know that Ethan’s condition was not simply “Alopecia Areata” but actually “Alopecia Totalis” which would take all hair from his entire body over time. So in Ethan’s case, the steroid injection did not work, but it does help patients.
Steroid injections have been used for alopecia areata since 1958. Studies from the 1970's showed that hair regrowth was found in 71% of people with Alopecia Areata, when treated every 2 weeks for 3 times. In another study, 63% of those receiving monthly steroid injections found regrowth at 4 months
Studies have shown that there is a reduction of hair loss when using topical steroids. In addition, improved regrowth of approximately 25% has been observed with the use of highly potent topical corticosteroids. They can be good adjunct medications especially when treating children with alopecia areata.