title: Treatment of alopecia areata with 308-nm excimer lamp.
abstract: Alopecia areata is considered to be a T-cell mediated autoimmune disorder. The 308-nm excimer lamp is thought to be capable of inducing T-cell apoptosis in vitro, suggesting that the lamp might be effective for the treatment of alopecia areata. We examined the effectiveness of the 308-nm excimer lamp for the treatment of alopecia areata. We recruited three patients with single alopecia areata lesions that were resistant to conventional treatment. The lesions were exposed to a 308-nm excimer lamp at 2-weekly intervals. Hair regrowth was observed in all three patients after approximately 10 treatment sessions. Our study showed that exposure to the 308-nm excimer lamp effectively induced hair regrowth in solitary alopecia areata lesions. Apart from erythema, there were no significant adverse effects. Therefore, we suggest that it may be considered as a treatment modality for recalcitrant alopecia areata.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ohtsuki
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Shigaku
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ikeda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000506:Alopecia Areata / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D004890:Erythema / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000254:growth & development / Q000528:radiation effects; D006801:Humans; D054018:Lasers, Excimer / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D028022:Low-Level Light Therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D012535:Scalp; D016896:Treatment Outcome