Approximately 6.7 million people suffer from Alopecia Areata in the United States, and up till now there has been little in the way of treatment and no sign at all of a cure. That has improved slightly with the news of the approval of a new drug by the Food and Drug Administration.

Litfulo from Pfizer was approved for use in the US in June 2023, and has since been approved in the UK in November and in Canada in December, as being suitable for use in patients age 12 and over with severe symptoms.

The pharmaceutical name, if you can get your tongue around it, is ritlecitinib, and its an enzyme inhibitor which targets what is known as the JAK pathway – which is the part of the immune system which causes the hair follicles to stop growing.

Litfulo may not work for everyone, although it has shown considerable promise in clinical studies so far – in Pfizer’s study of 718 people, 31% of those who had at least 50% hair loss improved to only 20% hair loss after taking the drug for five and a half months. However it will only be after more people have taken the drug and the data from that is assessed, that its true potential will become clear.

Expensive, and there are side-effects

The bad news is that the drug is expected to cost around $49,000 for a years supply. What that will translate to will depend on your health insurance and whether it is covered by it. There are also some side-effects to be aware of: increased risk of contracting infections, including upper respiratory infections and tuberculosis, and the possibility of headaches, dizziness, diarrhoea, and folliculitis.

It should also be noted that the alopecia is likely to return if you stop taking the drug. So it isn’t a cure and whatever the cost turns out to be it may need to be an on-going one for as long as your immune system remains in overdrive.

It is however a promising step towards a time when further research and development may give us a better way of controlling this distressing condition.

Until then our techniques for disguising Alopecia remain one of the few methods of helping women who suffer from it. If you’d like to read more about those techniques then please visit our Alopecia Areata page.

The problem of hair loss due to alopecia has recently been highlighted by the rather ill-judged joke told at the Oscar ceremonies which was followed by Will Smith’s slap of the comedian who he felt told it against Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from it.

There are a number of different types of alopecia and this article explains what they are and the differences between them.

Alopecia areata

This is one of the most commonly reported types of hair loss, referring to bald patches or spots on the scalp. It is considered to be an auto-immune disorder and can be very unpredictable – sometimes the hair grows back – but it can recur without warning or fresh patches appear in different places. More information and examples of our approach to disguising it.

Alopecia totalis

This is hair loss affecting the whole of the head, including eyelashes and eyebrows. It is a more advanced stage of alopecia areata, which progresses to totalis and universalis in around 1 – 2 per cent of cases.

Alopecia universalis

This term relates to hair loss all over the body, meaning that the entire epidermis is free from hair. It is the most severe form of alopecia areata, and as such is quite rare, occurring only in around 1 in 100,000 people.

Androgenetic Alopecia

Known as Pattern Hair Loss there are male and female versions. The male pattern normally recedes from the front or the temples, whereas the female patttern is much more diffuse – thinnning over the head in general. More information on FPHL.

Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

Also known as Scarring Alopecia or Cicatricial Alopecia, it was only identified as recently as 1994. As with the related condition Lichen Planopilaris this type of hair loss is permanent due to the scar tissue generated by the inflammation that causes it.  The hair follicles are destroyed and cannot grow back. It is characterised by a receding of the hairline at the front and sides of the scalp. More information on FFA.

Traction Alopecia

This is where hair falls out due to physical stress on the follicles – usually caused by overly-tight hair styles such as a severe ponytail, or by badly-fitted and/or too heavy extensions.

There are No Cures

While there are various creams and lotions which can help some of these conditions there are no cures, and most of the treatments have side-effects or are only suitable for men. Such treatments should only be used under medical advice and we do not offer them.

However we can disguise female hair loss very effectively with a variety of hair systems which we have developed and pioneered over the last four decades. These include the Intralace System and ultra-fine extensions called Medi Connections.

If you’d like to explore those otions then come and talk to us and we can asses the best approach for you. In the US we have studios at

9022 Burton Way
Beverly Hills
Tel: 310-288-0788
Inquiry form

and

Suite 607, 37 East 28th Street
New York City
Tel: 212-359-1641
Inquiry form

while if you are in the UK we have studios in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Midlands (Solihull), Bristol, and Southampton. You can contact us there via our UK website.