An observational study in Alopecia Areata, sponsored by Istanbul Training and Research Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-11.
Sponsored by Istanbul Training and Research Hospital · Observational
The goal of this observational study is to learn whether red fluorescence seen with ultraviolet (UV) trichoscopy is related to disease findings and treatment response in adults with limited plaque-type alopecia areata. Trichoscopy is a close-up imaging method used to examine the hair and scalp. The study will investigate whether the amount of red fluorescence at the beginning of the study is related to how soon hair starts to grow back, how much hair regrows, and how trichoscopic findings change during follow-up. Participants for whom intralesional corticosteroid treatment has been planned as part of their regular medical care will have standard trichoscopic and UV-trichoscopic images taken of the affected scalp area. They will be followed at weeks 4, 8, and 12, when hair regrowth and changes in scalp and hair findings will be evaluated. Researchers will measure red fluorescence in the images and examine whether it is related to treatment response over time.
This is a prospective observational cohort study involving adults with limited plaque-type alopecia areata who are receiving intralesional corticosteroid treatment as part of routine clinical care. Participation in the study does not determine whether a patient receives intralesional corticosteroid treatment.
At baseline, the affected scalp area will be evaluated using conventional polarized trichoscopy and UV-trichoscopy. Follow-up assessments will be performed at weeks 4, 8, and 12 using the same imaging approach. Trichoscopic findings of interest will include yellow dots, black dots, exclamation mark hairs, and broken hairs.
UV-trichoscopic red fluorescence will be assessed quantitatively by measuring red-channel intensity on standardized digital images. Imaging and image analysis procedures will be performed using a standardized acquisition protocol to improve comparability between visits.
Treatment response will be evaluated according to the appearance and extent of visible hair regrowth and the change in trichoscopic activity findings during follow-up. The main analysis will examine whether baseline red fluorescence intensity is associated with the timing and magnitude of response to intralesional corticosteroid treatment. Associations between red fluorescence intensity and baseline trichoscopic findings, as well as changes in fluorescence intensity and trichoscopic findings over time, will also be evaluated.
220 studies on the registry are indexed under Alopecia Areata; 61 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 40 is below the median of 370 across 39 observational studies indexed under Alopecia Areata.
Browse Alopecia Areata studies →Istanbul Training and Research Hospital is the lead sponsor of 66 studies on the registry; 15 are open to participants now.
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Adults with limited plaque-type alopecia areata of the scalp who are receiving intralesional corticosteroid treatment as part of routine clinical care at the dermatology outpatient clinic will be prospectively enrolled. Participants will undergo standardized conventional trichoscopic and UV-trichoscopic assessments and will be followed for 12 weeks to evaluate red fluorescence intensity, trichoscopic findings, and hair regrowth.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
A planned gap after a treatment, so that its effects can lessen before the study treatment or a study assessment. Ask the study team and the doctor who prescribed it before changing any medicine.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Immunosuppression
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Washout period
A planned gap after a treatment, so that its effects can lessen before the study treatment or a study assessment. Ask the study team and the doctor who prescribed it before changing any medicine.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Adults with limited plaque-type alopecia areata who are receiving intralesional corticosteroid treatment as part of routine clinical care. Participants will undergo conventional trichoscopic and UV-trichoscopic assessments at baseline and during follow-up at weeks 4, 8, and 12. Hair regrowth, trichoscopic findings, and UV-trichoscopic red fluorescence intensity will be evaluated over time.
Drug: Triamcinolone Acetonide
Intralesional triamcinolone acetonide is administered for limited plaque-type alopecia areata as part of routine clinical care. The decision to administer treatment is made independently of participation in this observational study. The study prospectively evaluates trichoscopic and UV-trichoscopic findings and hair regrowth during routine treatment follow-up.
Association Between Baseline UV-Trichoscopic Red Fluorescence Intensity and Timing of First Visible Hair Regrowth
Baseline UV-trichoscopic red fluorescence intensity will be quantified from standardized digital images using red-channel intensity measurements. Participants will be evaluated for the first appearance of visible hair regrowth at follow-up visits at weeks 4, 8, and 12. The association between baseline red fluorescence intensity and the timing of first visible hair regrowth will be assessed.
Time frame: Baseline through week 12
Association Between Baseline UV-Trichoscopic Red Fluorescence Intensity and Degree of Hair Regrowth
The degree of hair regrowth will be assessed at follow-up visits using standardized clinical photographs and trichoscopic images of the alopecic plaque. Hair regrowth will be evaluated according to the proportion of the baseline alopecic area showing visible regrowth, with trichoscopic examination used to identify early or fine regrowing hairs that may not be clearly visible in clinical photographs. The association between baseline UV-trichoscopic red fluorescence intensity and the degree of hair regrowth will be evaluated.
Time frame: Weeks 4, 8, and 12
Change in UV-Trichoscopic Red Fluorescence Intensity During Follow-up
UV-trichoscopic red fluorescence intensity will be quantified from standardized digital images using red-channel intensity measurements. Changes in red fluorescence intensity from baseline through follow-up visits will be evaluated
Time frame: Baseline and weeks 4, 8, and 12
Change in Area-Normalized Counts of Selected Trichoscopic Findings During Follow-up
Yellow dots, black dots, exclamation mark hairs, and broken hairs will be counted individually on standardized trichoscopic images. Counts will be normalized to the area of the alopecic plaque and expressed as the number of each finding per square centimeter (findings/cm²). Each trichoscopic finding will be analyzed separately rather than combined into a composite severity score. Higher values indicate a greater density of the corresponding finding. For activity-associated findings, including black dots, broken hairs, and exclamation mark hairs, a decrease during follow-up will be interpreted as a reduction in trichoscopic disease activity. Yellow dots will be evaluated separately and will not be interpreted as a direct measure of disease activity.
Time frame: Baseline and weeks 4, 8, and 12
Association Between Baseline UV-Trichoscopic Red Fluorescence Intensity and Trichoscopic Findings
The association between baseline UV-trichoscopic red fluorescence intensity and baseline trichoscopic findings, including yellow dots, black dots, exclamation mark hairs, and broken hairs, will be evaluated.
Time frame: Baseline
Plan to share: No
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Istanbul Training and Research Hospital