title: 308-nm Excimer Lamp for the Treatment of Alopecia Areata: Clinical Trial on 16 Cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alopecia areata (AA) is considered as a T-cell mediated autoimmune disorder. The 308-nm excimer laser is thought to be capable of inducing T-cell apoptosis in vitro, suggesting that the 308-nm excimer lamp (not laser) might be effective for the treatment of AA. We examined the effectiveness of the 308-nm excimer lamp for treating AA.
  
  
  METHODS
  We treated 16 patients with single AA and multiple AA (MAA). The lesions were irradiated with a 308-nm excimer lamp at 2-week intervals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hair regrowth was observed in 14 patients. Among them, 10 patients showed more than 50% hair re-growth. Our results suggested that the 308-nm excimer lamp system is effective and safe for the treatment of single AA and MAA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that the 308-nm excimer lamp is a good therapeutic alternative without serious side effect for treating AA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ohtsuki
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Etsuko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Komiyama
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.forename: Shigaku
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ikeda
keywords: 308-nm excimer lamp; alopecia areata; treatment
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