HomeAnswersDermatologyhair lossCan laser treatment for acne cause hair loss in the beard?

I am losing hair in my beard with bald patches. Kindly help.

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The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

Answered by

Dr. Shama Naaz

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Vinodhini J.

Published At December 5, 2020
Reviewed AtDecember 21, 2023

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

I am losing my beard, and I can see small bald patches in them. Please help. I am currently on Tretiva 20 and Cyomin 50.

Answered by Dr. Shama Naaz

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

You are complaining of small patches of hair loss from your beard. Hair loss occurs due to alopecia areata (an autoimmune disorder) or fungal infection, or bacterial infection. To make a pinpoint diagnosis, you should send a picture of your hair loss for further management. Because without a proper diagnosis, it would be difficult to suggest a particular treatment.

Patient's Query

Thank you doctor,

I have attached the picture of my beard.

Answered by Dr. Shama Naaz

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

You have patchy hair loss, most likely to be due to alopecia areata. Treatment:- Apply Tacrolimus cream 0.1% over patches at night time. Apply Minoxidil 5% lotion over the patches during the day. Continue the treatment for two weeks and then follow up with photographs for assessment of response. Take care not to apply the above creams/lotion over lesions of acne. Mild irritation, redness, flaking can occur. If you get any other symptoms, feel free to consult. There is another effective method that is usually done in the clinic by a Dermatologist. Intralesional steroid therapy, in which steroid injections are given in the hairless areas. It is a very common procedure and has very good results. Two to four sessions are done at a gap of three to four weeks. For that, you should consult an experienced skin doctor.

Patient's Query

Thank you doctor,

I have also done the laser for acne. Can it be its side effect, or it is alopecia areata?

Answered by Dr. Shama Naaz

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Usually, the answer would be no, but a very deep resurfacing by laser could damage hair follicles. The type of laser, depth of treatment, and type of acne scar you had are all dependent factors for whether this could occur. Please address your concern with your laser practitioner. If the depth of laser treatment was too much, this could be a possibility. A very simple investigation to rule out this possibility and confirm the diagnosis of alopecia areata is getting a trichoscopy examination done by a dermatologist. It is a simple procedure and takes a few minutes.

Investigations to be done

Do trichoscopy.

Differential diagnosis

The differential diagnosis is history of laser treatment.

Probable diagnosis

The probable diagnosis is alopecia areata.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Shama Naaz
Dr. Shama Naaz

Dermatology

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