Does topical clobetasol cause scalp dents/atrophy?

Question

Is there a high chance of getting atrophy from topical clobetasol if used for alopecia areata? Does atrophy mean the hair that is grown will be lost due to dent on the scalp? Can Elidel offer the same results and potency like clobetasol for alopecia aretaa to avoid atrophy? Thank you

Jeff Donovan, MD, PhD · Answer

No, clobebetasol when used for alopecia areata does not cause dents or indentations. These are issues with steroid injections. No, idents does not mean the hair cannot grow. Once the indents improve (after 2-4 months) hair can grow if it wants to grow. Now, if the immune system is still attacking the hairs the  it is still not going to grow. As for Elidel, no. This is rather ineffective for scalp alopecia areata. Be sure to speak with your doctor.

Kulakarn Amonpattana, MD · Answer

Hello I'm Dr. Wipawan Vathananai, a co-worker of Dr. Kulakarn Amonpattana, from BHI Clinic, Bangkok, Thailand. According to my experience, clobetasol might be able to cause skin atrophy if it's used continuously for a long time. Elidel is not proved to be that effective when it comes to alopecia areata. There are still other options for treating alopecia areata like contact immunotherapy, immunosuppressant like JAK inhibitors; baricitinib, tofacitinib.

Does topical clobetasol cause scalp dents/atrophy?

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Does topical clobetasol cause scalp dents/atrophy?

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