New Hope for Hair Loss

New Hope for Hair Loss | RefinedMD, Los Gatos + San Jose

New Hope for Hair Loss

Have you tried all of the hair loss tools on the market to no avail? RefinedMD specializes in thinning hair, offering the latest technology and alternatives to surgeries. Recently, it was discovered that a common drug to treat eczema could also be effective in reversing hair loss. Newsweek reported that Dupilumab, which is FDA-approved, was recently prescribed to an adolescent alopecia patient. The drug was meant to treat her eczema, but it had a surprising and welcome side effect: hair growth.

Hair Growth and Eczema Drugs

The 13-year-old had been bald since she was two-years-old. However, she quickly grew hair after taking the eczema drug. JAMA Dermatology reports that she continued the drug due to the significant amount of hair growth. From the time she started taking Dupilumab, it took about six weeks for her to start noticing fine hairs on her head. Seven months later, it turned into thicker, darker hair. The lead author of the JAMA article, Maryanne Makredas Senna, says, “As far as we know, this is the first report of hair regrowth with Dupilumab in a patient with any degree of alopecia areata.”

When the patient stopped taking the drug, hair loss quickly ensued. She added the drug back into her regimen, and hair growth continued. Nobody is certain why hair growth was a side effect in this particular patient. However, the theory is that Dupilumab changes the immune system pathway that’s blocked in eczema patients. Makredas Senna says, “Right now, it’s hard to know whether Dupilumab could induce hair growth in other alopecia patients, but I suspect it may be helpful in patients with extensive active eczema and active alopecia areata.”

Hair Loss and Restoration at RefinedMD

More research is needed, but it’s possible that the drug may be prescribed in an off-label manner for alopecia patients. Clinical trials will likely begin soon. If you’d like to learn more, contact RefinedMD at (408) 688-2082 to discuss your hair loss concerns.