Two cases of alopecia areata treated with anthralin

Alopecia areata (AA) is a recurrent, nonscarring type of hair loss. Although it is a medically benign condition, AA can cause great emotional distress to affected patients and their family. At this time, there are many treatments that have varying efficacies but there is no reliable cure. Topical anthralin treatment of AA has been found to be effective by some researchers. We experienced two cases of AA improved by topical anthralin therapy without serious side effects. Anthralin is much less expensive than most other topical therapies for AA and relatively well tolerated. In our experience, it is more effective in eliciting a cosmetic response than other topical treatments. Anthralin appears to be a reasonable therapeutic option for AA.