A Clinical Comparison of FDA-Cleared Photobiomodulation Devices for the Treatment of Alopecia
Overview
- Phase
- Early Phase 1
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Alopecia
- Sponsor
- University of Minnesota
- Enrollment
- 104
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Investigator's Global Assessment Score (IGA score)
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- last year
Overview
Brief Summary
Photobiomodulation is a form of non-ionizing light therapy has been shown to stimulate cellular processes and reduce inflammation as well as improve pain and wound healing. Photobiomodulation has also been found to enhance fibroblast growth factor production. A challenge in clinic is to answer the patients' questions regarding which FDA-cleared device is the best to purchase. Therefore, this study was designed to gain experience with the use of the following devices and to clinically evaluate their efficacy: iGrow Hair Growth System, Capillus352, Hair Max Ultima 12 LaserComb, and HairMax Laserband 82. The purpose of this pilot research study is to clinically compare and evaluate FDA-cleared photobiomodulation devices after four months of treatment and one-month follow-up in subjects with alopecia.
Investigators
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Male or female ages 21-85 years old with alopecia.
- •Prospective subjects must be in good general health.
- •Female subjects who are premenopausal and of childbearing capacity must use oral contraceptive tablets, implanted contraceptive hormones, or Depo-Provera® contraceptive injections as birth control for the duration of the study.
- •If prospective subjects are on hormone-containing medication, they must be on stable dose for past 6 months.
- •Willing to abstain from use of over-the-counter hair products such as topical Minoxidil (Rogaine ® ) and prescription hair products.
- •Willing to use DHS zinc shampoo and conditioner for the duration of the study.
- •Willing to avoid using any hair styling products directly on the scalp.
- •Subjects must be capable of giving informed consent.
- •Willing to adhere to protocol, including scalp examinations, questionnaires, and photography.
- •Willing to adhere to treatment protocol and frequency used for FDA clearance.
Exclusion Criteria
- •Immunosuppressed patients (history of transplantation, cancer, chemotherapy, splenectomy, or HIV)
- •Application of topical immunomodulatory or immunosuppressive agent in the preceding 6 weeks.
- •Systemic administration of corticosteroid or other systemic treatment (i.e., prednisone) that has immunomodulatory or other immunosuppressive mechanisms of action, in the preceding 3 months or planned usage throughout the study.
- •Clinical evidence of secondary skin infection (i.e., folliculitis).
- •Other scalp conditions (i.e., seborrheic dermatitis or dissecting cellulitis) that might interfere with evaluations during the study.
- •Investigational medications within the past 30 days.
- •Female prospective subject is pregnant, nursing, planning a pregnancy, or less than six months postpartum.
- •Severe allergies manifested by a history of anaphylaxis, or history or presence of multiple severe allergies.
- •Use of photobiomodulating device, such as those in this study, within the past 4 weeks
- •Initiation or change in dose/application of topical minoxidil within the past 6 weeks.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Investigator's Global Assessment Score (IGA score)
Time Frame: baseline to 5 months
Units on a scale. Standardized rating system used in research to assess various dermatologic conditions, including hair loss (-3-+3). It involves visual examination by trained board-certified dermatologists to evaluate specific criteria assessing the overall severity of hair loss.
Savin score
Time Frame: baseline to 5 months
Units on a scale. Classification systems for female pattern hair loss (I-1-III) severity, assessed during monthly examinations.
Ludwig score
Time Frame: baseline to 5 months
Units on a scale. Classification system for female pattern hair loss (I-III) severity, assessed during monthly examinations.
Hamilton-Norwood score
Time Frame: Baseline to 5 months
Units on a scale. Classification systems for male pattern hair loss (I-VII) severity, assessed during monthly examinations.
Dermatologist Evaluation of Scalp Health (Scale)
Time Frame: Baseline to 5 months
Scalp health, specifically scale, is evaluated and marked as "absent", "mild", or "moderate" by a board-certified dermatologist during monthly examinations.
Dermatologist Evaluation of Scalp Health (Erythema)
Time Frame: Baseline to 5 months
Dermatologist Evaluation of Scalp Health (Erythema) Description: Scalp health, specifically erythema, is evaluated and marked as "absent", "mild", or "moderate" by a board-certified dermatologist during monthly examinations.
Dermatologist Evaluation of Scalp Health (Folliculitis)
Time Frame: Baseline to 5 months
Scalp health, specifically folliculitis, is evaluated and marked as "absent", "mild", or "moderate" by a board-certified dermatologist during monthly examinations.
Hair Growth Assessment (HGA)
Time Frame: Baseline to 5 months
Units on a scale. A scale used to describe scalp hair growth progress compared to baseline photos. Change is quantified on a scale of -3 to 3.
Hair Growth Index (HGI)
Time Frame: Baseline to 5 months
Units on a scale. Hair growth is evaluated using three self-assessment questions on a scale of -3 to 3.
Hair Growth Satisfaction Surveys (HGSS)
Time Frame: Baseline to 5 months
Units on a scale. Participant satisfaction with hair appearance/growth compared to baseline across five questions on a scale of -3 to 3.
Subject Scalp Health Assessment (SSHA)
Time Frame: Baseline to 5 months
Units on a scale. Self-assessment of scalp health and hair condition through multiple questions measured on a scale of -2 to 2 during monthly exams.