Alopecia Mucinosa (Follicular Mucinosis) Treatment & Management

Updated: Feb 16, 2022
  • Author: Gervaise L Gerstner, MD; Chief Editor: Dirk M Elston, MD  more...
  • Print
Treatment

Medical Care

No uniformly effective therapy exists for alopecia mucinosa, although several treatments are routinely used. Treatments include topical, intralesional, and systemic corticosteroids. In addition, topical and systemic psoralen plus ultraviolet A light (PUVA) therapy, [17] topical nitrogen mustard, and radiation therapy have demonstrated some success. Isolated cases document the beneficial responses of dapsone, indomethacin, and interferons. [18] Because of the variable course of the disease and the likelihood of spontaneous resolution, therapeutic efficacy is difficult to prove.

Close follow-up care with all patients is required, with a minimum of 5 years of follow-up recommended. [8]