Alopecia totalis (AT) is a non-scarring, autoimmune-mediated hair loss with a chronic course that affects the entire scalp. Treatment is challenging and often incomplete. Pulse dose corticosteroids have been reported to be successful in multiple cases but currently little is known on the optimal regimen with maximum effect and least side effects. We report a 39-year old, otherwise healthy, female with AT who was treated with a four-week course of daily 30 mg methylprednisolone followed by three days weekly corticosteroid (oral mini-pulse dose) of the same dose. The patient showed hair growth after four weeks and an almost complete hair growth after twelve months of treatment. No side effects were observed in this patient. This case showed that daily dose of corticosteroid followed by mini-pulse dose is an effective and safe treatment in AT.
Key words: alopecia totalis, mini-pulse dose, corticosteroid
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