Treatment Survival and Reasons for Discontinuation in Patients with Recalcitrant Folliculitis Decalvans

Due to the risk of scarring and the psychological impact on affected patients, folliculitis decalvans (FD) requires prompt and focused care to control inflammation and prevent disease progression. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive long-term evaluation of treatment outcomes in difficult-to-treat cases of FD by analysing the effectiveness of various therapies and identifying reasons for treatment switches or discontinuation. The single-centre, retrospective cohort study collected information on patient characteristics and management strategies, focusing on different treatment groups and reasons for discontinuation or switching. Eighteen patients with biopsy-confirmed FD were included in the study because of their recalcitrant course (38.9% females, median age 33.0 years), with a median follow-up period of 1.5 years. During the study period, all patients received at least one pre-scription for topical therapies, primarily non-antibiotic disinfectants, topical corticosteroids, topical antibiotics, and topical dapsone. Systemic antibiotics were prescribed for 88.9% of patients, predominantly tetra-cyclines and a combination of rifampicin and clindamycin. Non-biological systemic therapies, excluding steroids, were used in 61.1% of patients, with isotretinoin being the most common (27.8%). Among immunomodulatory drugs, apremilast was prescribed to 11.1% of patients. Overall, the highest treatment discontinuation rates were observed with systemic antibiotics (risk ratio: 1.63; 95% confidence interval: 1.46-1.82), followed by systemic steroids. The treatment of patients with severe FD requires a personalized, multifaceted approach, typically involving a combination of local and systemic therapies. Antibiotics are often used as a first-line treatment, but they are associated with a high rate of discontinuation. This highlights the urgent need for effective immunomodulatory treatments, either as alternatives or as adjuncts to current options.