Related Experiment Video For Alopecia
Updated: Oct 18, 2025

Pharmacologic Induction of Epidermal Melanin and Protection Against Sunburn in a Humanized Mouse Model
Published on: September 7, 2013
Hair Follicle Melanogenesis Reflected in Hair Pigmentation as a Developmental Factor in Alopecia Areata
Margit Juhasz1, Rosalynn R Z Conic2, Natasha Atanaskova Mesinkovska1
1Department of Dermatology, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.
Abstract:
The mechanism of alopecia areata (AA) is not well-elucidated, and hair follicle melanogenesis pathways are implicated as possible sources for autoantigens. After a retrospective medical record review at a single tertiary medical center, the hair color of 112 AA patients were identified and compared to a control group of 104 androgenetic alopecia patients. There were no statistically significant differences in the natural hair color prevalence between the 2 groups (p = 0.164), and hair color was not a predictor of the alopecia type. Our results suggest hair pigmentation, determined by the eumelanin-to-pheomelanin ratio, is not a positive risk factor for AA development. We hope that our study will encourage multiple large-scale, collaborative, retrospective medical reviews to determine if our results are reproducible in diverse patient populations.
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