A Phase 4 interventional study of Triamcinolone acetonide and Microneedling with topical triamcinolone acetonide in Alopecia Areata, sponsored by Dow University of Health Sciences. Recruiting at 1 site in Pakistan. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-09.
Sponsored by Dow University of Health Sciences · Phase 4, Interventional, and Treatment
Brief Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn which treatment works better for people with alopecia areata, a condition that causes patchy hair loss. The study will compare two commonly used treatments to see which one leads to better hair regrowth and fewer side effects.
The main questions this study aims to answer are:
Does injecting triamcinolone acetonide into the skin lead to better hair regrowth than microneedling with topical triamcinolone acetonide?
Are there any side effects linked to these treatments?
Researchers will compare two groups of participants. One group will receive intralesional injections of triamcinolone acetonide. The other group will receive microneedling followed by the local application of triamcinolone acetonide. The results will be compared to see which treatment works better for alopecia areata.
Participants will:
Be examined by the research team to confirm the diagnosis of alopecia areata
Receive one of the two treatments as part of the study
Attend follow-up visits so researchers can check hair regrowth and monitor for side effects
Alopecia areata is a common autoimmune condition characterized by non-scarring hair loss. Intralesional corticosteroid injection is a widely used treatment; however, alternative methods such as microneedling with topical corticosteroids are increasingly being explored to improve outcomes and reduce treatment-related discomfort.
This randomized clinical trial is designed to compare the effectiveness and safety of intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide versus microneedling with local application of triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of alopecia areata. Eligible participants diagnosed with alopecia areata will be enrolled after obtaining informed consent.
Participants will be allocated into two treatment groups. One group will receive intralesional injections of triamcinolone acetonide according to standard clinical practice. The second group will undergo microneedling followed by topical application of triamcinolone acetonide. Treatments will be administered at predefined intervals as outlined in the approved study protocol.
Clinical assessment will be performed at baseline and during follow-up visits to evaluate hair regrowth and treatment response. Participants will also be monitored for local and systemic adverse effects throughout the study period. The findings of this study aim to provide comparative evidence on the efficacy and safety of these two commonly used treatment modalities for alopecia areata.
220 studies on the registry are indexed under Alopecia Areata; 61 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 276 is above the median of 50 across 171 interventional studies indexed under Alopecia Areata.
Browse Alopecia Areata studies →Dow University of Health Sciences is the lead sponsor of 179 studies on the registry; 34 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Clinically diagnosed alopecia areata involving 25 percent or less of the scalp surface area
Disease duration of up to 12 months
Willingness to participate in the study and provide written
Exclusion Criteria:
Scarring alopecia or active scalp infection
History of keloid formation or abnormal wound healing
Pregnant or lactating women
Use of systemic or topical therapy within the last 4 weeks
Known to triamcinolone acetonide or local anesthetics
Presence of uncontrolled disorders that may affect treatment response
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.
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.
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
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.
Hypersensitivity
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Autoimmune disease
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants in this arm will receive intralesional injections of triamcinolone acetonide into the affected scalp areas at four-week intervals, according to standard clinical practice.
Drug: Triamcinolone acetonide · Procedure: Microneedling with topical triamcinolone acetonide
Participants in this arm will undergo microneedling of the affected scalp areas followed by local application of triamcinolone acetonide at four-week intervals.
Drug: Triamcinolone acetonide · Procedure: Microneedling with topical triamcinolone acetonide
Triamcinolone acetonide will be administered as intralesional injections into the affected scalp areas at four-week intervals, according to standard clinical practice.
Microneedling will be performed on the affected scalp areas followed by local application of triamcinolone acetonide at four-week intervals.
Hair regrowth
Hair regrowth will be assessed by the percentage change in the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score from baseline.
Time frame: 12 weeks
treatment success
Treatment success will be defined as a 50 percent or greater reduction in the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score compared to baseline.
Time frame: 12 weeks
Treatment-related adverse effects
Local adverse effects including pain, erythema, bleeding, infection, skin atrophy, telangiectasia, and pigmentary changes will be recorded during the study period.
Time frame: Up to 12 weeks
Plan to share: No — Individual participant data will not be shared because this is an investigator-initiated academic study, and no formal data-sharing plan has been approved.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Studies of the drug tested here: Triamcinolone Acetonide
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