A Comparative Study on Therapeutic Efficacy Between Topical Dinitrochlorobenzene and Topical Betamethasone in Alopecia Areata

    December 2025 in “ IP Indian Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dermatology ”
    Elumalai Venkatesan, Jayakalyani Vijayananth, Sushmitha K, Sridhar Venu, Rekha G.P
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    TLDR DNCB is more effective than betamethasone for hair regrowth but has more side effects.
    This study compared the efficacy of topical dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) and topical betamethasone in treating alopecia areata among 60 patients, divided into two groups of 30 each. The results indicated that DNCB was more effective, with 53.3% of patients achieving excellent hair regrowth (Grade 4) compared to 13.3% in the betamethasone group. However, DNCB was associated with more side effects, such as eczema and hypopigmentation. The study concluded that while DNCB is more effective than betamethasone, further research with larger samples is needed.
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