Treatment of Alopecia Areata using Transdermal Delivery of 5-Fluorouracil by Fractional CO2 Laser versus Intralesional Injection of 5-Fluorouracil

This study compared the effectiveness of transdermal delivery of 5-fluorouracil using fractional CO2 laser versus intralesional injection for treating alopecia areata in 52 patients. The patients were divided into two groups of 26 each. Results showed that the transdermal method had a significantly better response, with 61.5% of patients showing excellent improvement compared to 23.1% in the injection group. Additionally, the transdermal group had a greater reduction in the Severity of Alopecia Tool Score (SALT), with a 65.5% decrease compared to 34.1% in the injection group. The study concluded that transdermal delivery via fractional CO2 laser is more effective than intralesional injection for treating alopecia areata.