Efficacy of Jessener solution versus intralesional steroid in treatment of alopecia areata

BackgroundAlopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that causes non-scarring hair loss. To date, there is no single cure and treatment remains challenging. ObjectivesTo evaluate the efficacy of Jessener solution versus intralesional steroid in treatment of Alopecia Areata. MethodsThis study included 40 patients who presented with multifocal patchy alopecia areata (AA). For each patient, three patches were randomly selected to be treated one with intralesional steroid, another with topical Jessner solution and the third with normal saline. Three sessions were done 3 weeks apart and were followed up for 3 months. Response was assessed clinically and by trichoscope. ResultsFifteen percent of patches coated with Jessner or injected with steroids showed an excellent response while 20% of patches coated with Jessner and 32.5% patches injected with steroids showed a good response. A significant difference was observed between the three modalities of treatment regarding the prognostic score for response (p < 0.001) as patches coated with Jessner and those steroid injected showed a significant higher response rate than patches injected with saline (p < 0.001) while no significant difference was reported between patches either treated with Jessner or steroids (p > 0.05). ConclusionJessners solution can be a novel and feasible and well tolerated modality of treatment for patients suffering from alopecia areata.