TLDR Photodynamic therapy successfully treated a difficult scalp condition causing hair loss.
Photodynamic therapy was reported to be effective in treating a patient with folliculitis decalvans, a chronic form of deep folliculitis that results in scarring alopecia on the scalp. This condition is typically difficult to treat and has a poor prognosis, but the therapy showed success in this case.
112 citations
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July 2008 in “Dermatologic Therapy” Folliculitis decalvans is a rare scalp condition causing scarring hair loss, treated with long-term antibiotics and other medications, but it often comes back and is hard to manage.
5 citations
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April 2025 in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” Control inflammation and prevent further hair loss in folliculitis decalvans using medications and therapies.
1 citations
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March 2024 in “International Journal of Dermatology” CO2 laser-associated PDT effectively treated therapy-resistant folliculitis decalvans.
June 2024 in “British Journal of Dermatology” The grand round helps improve diagnoses and suggests new treatments for hair disorders.
October 2025 in “Australasian Journal of Dermatology” Combination therapies may be more effective for treating Folliculitis Decalvans than antibiotics alone.
41 citations
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June 2018 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Some treatments for folliculitis decalvans work well, with tetracyclines and a mix of rifampicin and clindamycin being most effective.
