Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by BaldGirlsDoLunch.org on May 14, 2010 at 12:31pm

You're using it to calm down itching? Not to try to restart hair growth?

Thea

Permalink Reply by Patricia Kay Penton on May 14, 2010 at 2:35pm

No, my doctor prescribed it to restart hair growth. My scalp does not itch at all...

Permalink Reply by BaldGirlsDoLunch.org on May 14, 2010 at 6:15pm

Click here for link in the BGDL treatment blog to the most recently published protocols for treatment (February 2010, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology). The BGDL blog references are more up to date than what's currently posted on the n a a f site and even in the AA Q and A booklet I really like from the NIH/NIAMS.

Excerpt:

"For mild to moderate AA
(\26% hair loss), a multicenter prospective, randomized,
controlled, investigator-blinded trial showed a
more than 75% hair regrowth rate in 61% of patients
using 0.1% betamethasone valerate foam in comparison
with 27% in the 0.05% betamethasone dipropionate
lotion group."

Show your doc this reference to the 2003 comparative study of the lotion with the foam. I haven't read the full article below and perhaps they also compared ointment, cream and lotion or describe why they chose to make the comparison only with the foam formulation.

Mancuso G, Balducci A, Casadio C, Farina P, Staffa M, Valenti
L, et al. Efficacy of betamethasone valerate foam formulation
in comparison with betamethasone dipropionate lotion in
the treatment of mild-to-moderate alopecia areata: a multicenter,
prospective, randomized, controlled, investigator blinded
trial. Int J Dermatol 2003;42:572-5.

Perhaps your doc meant to prescribe the foam or hasn't seen this most recent info. Maybe your doc is thinking that foam is messy or is under the impression that the efficacy is the same for the ointment and the foam.

As an aside, when patients are heard to say "nothing is being done for AA", it's not true. Most studies and clinical trials on AA patients are being done in the global sphere having nothing to do at all with the n a a f. Americans I meet I have very narrow view of what's done beyond the reach of the n a a f. Studies like this one are useful.

Thea
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Permalink Reply by BaldGirlsDoLunch.org on May 14, 2010 at 6:32pm

The Mancuso team is from North Carolina and did a cross sectional survey and published the report titled " Attitudes of dermatologists in the southeastern United States regarding treatment of alopecia areata: a cross-sectional survey study" which did use data from the NAAR.



Thea