Alopecia areata (AA) is thought to be an autoimmune, T lymphocyte mediated disease that causes localized or disseminated hair loss. It is frequently intractable and relapsing.
Treatments using steroids, topical immune therapy and phototherapy sometimes remain ineffective. Narrow band UV-B phototherapy and PUVA therapy are used to treat AA, but requires protection of healthy skin.
Recently, there have been reports of efficiency with the use of 308-nm excimer lump in the treatment of psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and vitiligo. This therapy has a low incidence of side effects and can be specifically directed towards lesional skin with a shorter exposure time compared to ordinal phototherapy. We attempted to utilize 308-nm excimer lump in the treatment of patients with localized and multiple alopecia areata (MAA). Lesions were treated with the lump once every 2 weeks. Regrowth of hair was observed in the majority of the patients treated with this lump. The 308-nm excimer lump is supposed to be an effective and alternative therapy for AA patients, who do not respond to conventional therapies.