Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 23, 2026
Mechanical and Controlled PRP Injections in Patients Affected by Androgenetic Alopecia
Published on: January 27, 2018
Successful Response to a Combination of Intralesional Methotrexate and Fractional CO2 Laser in Refractory Alopecia
Ana Rodríguez-Villa Lario1,2, Ángel Aguado-García3, Juan José Andrés-Lencina3
1Trichology Unit, Instituto Médico Ricart, Hospital Ruber Internacional, Grupo Quirónsalud, Madrid, Spain.
Introduction:
Refractory cases of alopecia areata (AA) may be considered a therapeutic challenge. Intralesional methotrexate (IL-MTX) has been used in other dermatological diseases rather than AA. Likewise, its topical use as an immunosuppressant drug may be of interest for the control of the lymphoid infiltrate in AA. On the other hand, the use of fractional ablative laser is supported in literature as an alternative or complementary treatment in AA, whilst the generation of columns of thermal damage may favour the migration of cells and cytokines that are beneficial.
Case Presentation:
In this paper, we present 2 cases in which IL-MTX and ablative fractional CO2 laser were combined with excellent outcomes.
Conclusion:
Previous research encompasses a total of 23 patients. Most patients presented with patchy AA. The doses administered ranged from 2.5 to 50 mg with an average frequency of 3 weeks. On average, most patients required a minimum of 3 sessions. One case employed 1% topical methotrexate ointment. Adverse local events were mild and transient. In conclusion, the concomitant application of these treatments has not been reported previously. Specific recommendations relating to the appropriate dosing of the drug, frequency of administration, and requirements for analytical control studies should be determined in further studies.
