Liquid Nitrogen in the Treatment of Patients with Alopecia Areata of the Scalp

Abstract

Introduction: The use of cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen in the treatment of alopecia areata of the scalp produces an initial vasoconstriction and then local vasodilatation during the thaw that causes deep massaging in the area of application, and the vessels dilate around the hair follicles area, increasing blood flow which leads to hair regrowth and influencing as immunomodulator.

Objective: To evaluate the results of the application of cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen in patients with alopecia areata of the scalp.

Methods: An observational, descriptive and longitudinal study was carried out at the City Center Community Clinic, in Sancti Spíritus, Cuba, from January 2018 to February 2021. The main variables were plaque repopulation and the presence of adverse events. The sample was made up of 32 patients.

Results: The female sex predominated in 62.15%, the average age was 23.5 years, and the most frequent clinical form was multifocal in 56.2%. At the end of the treatment, 75% of the patients repopulated the alopecic plaques and pruritus was the principal adverse event in 12.5% of the cases.

Conclusions: The response to treatment was favorable in most of the subjects treated with cryotherapy, when repopulating the plaque, totally or partially. Liquid nitrogen cryotherapy proved to be effective and safe in most of the patients treated.