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Review
. 2021 May 12:14:485-499.
doi: 10.2147/CCID.S284435. eCollection 2021.

Topical Treatment for Scarring and Non-Scarring Alopecia: An Overview of the Current Evidence

Camila O Cardoso  1 , Seila Tolentino  1 , Tais Gratieri  1 , Marcilio Cunha-Filho  1 , Renata F V Lopez  2 , Guilherme M Gelfuso  1
Affiliations
Review

Topical Treatment for Scarring and Non-Scarring Alopecia: An Overview of the Current Evidence

Camila O Cardoso et al. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. .

Abstract

Alopecia is a clinical condition related to hair loss that can significantly affect both male and female adults' quality of life. Despite the high market demand, only few drugs are currently approved for alopecia treatment. Topical formulations still bring drawbacks, such as scalp irritation with frequent use, and low drug absorption to the site of action, which limits the efficacy. The most recent research points out that different formulation technology could circumvent the aforementioned flaws. Such technology includes incorporation of drugs in rigid or deformable nanoparticles, strategies involving physical, energetical and mechanical techniques, such as iontophoresis, sonophoresis, microneedling, and the use of solid effervescent granules to be hydrated at the moment of application in the scalp. In this paper, the progress of current research on topical formulations dedicated to the treatment of alopecia is reviewed and discussed.

Keywords: alopecia; drug delivery; hair follicle; iontophoresis; nanoparticles; topical treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Prof. Dr. Renata Lopez report grants from FAPESP, outside the submitted work. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Progression of androgenic alopecia. The hair follicles are miniaturized due the increased concentration of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in dermal papillae.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scheme of the proposed mechanism for targeted drug delivery to the hair follicles provided by topical application of a nanoparticulate formulation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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