498 Efficacy of photobiomodulation therapy for the off-label treatment of alopecia in skin types V-VI

Abstract

Photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy is an emerging treatment for androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Although various devices are FDA-cleared for treatment of AGA in Fitzpatrick (FST) skin types I-IV, these devices are not FDA-cleared for use in FST skin types V-VI. We initiated this study to investigate the efficacy of PBM therapy for off-label treatment of AGA on darker skin types. Subjects meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria were randomized to one of four PBM devices including laser diodes and/or light emitting diodes and received treatments in-office per manufacturer’s recommendations. Standardized global photographs of the scalp were obtained at baseline and monthly for 4 months. Hamilton-Norwood and Savin scales were used to score AGA in males and females respectively. Scalp health was assessed for erythema, scale and folliculitis. Adverse events were tracked at each treatment visit. Five subjects, 3 females/2 males, ages 34-68, with FST skin types V and VI were enrolled. One female and two males were diagnosed with AGA. Baseline Savin score of the female subject was 5 and 4 at the final visit. Baseline Hamilton-Norwood scale of the two males were rated at 5 with one male remaining stable and the other improving to a score of 4. The other two female subjects were diagnosed with central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA) and showed improvement in their baseline to final scores. No device related adverse events were reported and no erythema, scale, or folliculitis were noted. Our data suggests that use of PBM therapy for hair growth in FST skin types V-VI is associated with disease stability or some improvement. No worsening of condition was noted. Additionally, no adverse events were reported. However, this data is limited by a small sample size. Further enrollment and research is required to understand the off-label efficacy of these devices in treating hair loss in darker skin types.