Comparative Efficacy of Topical Trichloroacetic Acid and Superficial Cryotherapy in Resistant Alopecia Areata: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Rania Nabil Abd-Elbaky, Ramadan M Eldahshan, Osama Elshabory, Mohamed L Elsaie

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Article in The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 authors.

Rania Nabil Abd-ElbakyDr. Abd-Elbaky is with the Medical Administration at Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.

Ramadan M EldahshanDrs. Eldahshan and Elshabory are with the Department of Dermatology, Venereology, and Andrology, Damietta Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Damietta, Egypt.

Osama ElshaboryDrs. Eldahshan and Elshabory are with the Department of Dermatology, Venereology, and Andrology, Damietta Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Damietta, Egypt.

Mohamed L ElsaieDr. Elsaie is with the Department of Dermatology, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlopecia areata (AA) is a frequent nonscarring alopecia affecting the body or scalp, distinguished by hair loss without clinical inflammatory indicators.

objectiveTo compare the efficiency and safety of trichloroacetic acid (TCA), 35%, vs superficial cryotherapy in the treatment of resistant AA.

methodsIn a double-armed, single-blinded, randomized clinical trial, 32 patients with resistant AA were randomized into 2 groups of 16 patients each: superficial cryotherapy group and topical TCA group. The first group was treated with superficial cryotherapy administered by spraying liquid nitrogen for 15 seconds, followed by thawing, and repeated for 2 further cycles, every 2 weeks for 3 months (6 sessions). The second group was treated with topical TCA performed once monthly for 3 months (3 sessions).

resultsNo statistically significant variance was discovered among the examined groups according to Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score before treatment (

conclusionWe have demonstrated the efficacy of both treatments with a more significant result favoring TCA. Considering that it is less painful and easier to perform, superficial cryotherapy is especially worthy of application to patients with mild AA and with stable course who have difficulty with conventional treatments.

Indexed as

Alopecia areatacryotherapytrichloroacetic acid

Identifiers

PMID42761693

PMCPMC13588477

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.