Comparative Study Between Ablative Fractional Carbon Dioxide Laser Combined with Topical Steroid Versus Topical Steroid in Treatment of Alopecia Areata

Mohsen, Sara Raheem; Salman, Husam Ali

doi:10.52573/ipmj.2025.145300

	Comparative Study Between Ablative Fractional Carbon Dioxide Laser Combined with Topical Steroid Versus Topical Steroid in Treatment of Alopecia Areata
Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal
Article 6, Volume 24, Issue 4, October 2025, Pages 477-484 PDF (1.43 M)
Document Type: Research Paper
DOI: 10.52573/ipmj.2025.145300
Authors
sara raheem mohsen^* ¹; husam ali salman²
¹university of baghdad alkindy college of medicine
²Department of Dermatology and venerelogy College of Medicine, University of Baghdad
Abstract
Background: Alopecia areata is a common disease that affects the psychological well-being of the affected individuals. No single treatment option is proved to be effective and safe in its management. Laser-assisted drug delivery is a new method for the management of different dermatological diseases. fractional laser could can act by inducing T cell apoptosis, increasing blood flow and promoting telogen to anagen transitions. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of fractional carbon dioxide laser-assisted topical steroid delivery in the management of alopecia areata. Patients and methods: A total of 20 patients with (108 patches) of alopecia areata with two or more nonadjacent patches are included , all patients were given clobetasol propionate 0.05% cream twice daily on all patches then the patches on the same patient are categorized into two groups, group A treated with fractional carbon dioxide laser in addition to clobetasol propionate 0.05% cream and the group B treated with clobetasol propionate 0.05% cream alone. Assessment was done by MacDonald Hull and Norris grading. A total of four sessions were done at 2 weeks interval (baseline, 2nd week visit, 4th week visit, 6th week visit) then patients were seen after 2 weeks (8 weeks) and after 2 months (16week) from the last session for follow up. Results: There is significant statistical difference observed between both groups. Group A had better treatment outcome as compared to Group B during all treatment intervals. Furthermore duration comparison during follow-up period from the last session to two months, showed a significant result obtained regarding Group A . Conclusion: Fractional CO2 laser is a an effective treatment modality for localized alopecia areata when used in combination with clobetasole propionate 0.05% cream. It was found superior to clobetasole propionate 0.05% cream monotherapy.
Keywords
alopecia areata; fractional co2 laser; clobetasole propionate

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