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Q. Is it possible to get bald spots with Doxycycline?

Answered by
Dr. Rabia Anjum
and medically reviewed by iCliniq medical review team.
This is a premium question & answer published on Feb 18, 2019

Hello doctor,

I was taking Doxycycline for three months. After I got a haircut in third month, I noticed that I had two bald patches (it is not actually bald, they were just super thin with a little bit of hair). I got a haircut again today, and the same problem occurred. I am almost positive that the problem is alopecia areata, and I also have the symptom of nail dystrophy (it appeared around two weeks ago). Do you think Doxycycline caused this issue? How can AA be treated, and how long should I expect for my bald spots to have normal thickness again?

#

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Doxycycline is Tetracycline antibiotic that can cause photosensitivity and photo-onycolysis (nail dystrophy) but alopecia areata is not linked with this medication. On the other hand, nail problems are common with alopecia areata.


The Probable causes:

Autoimmunity, drug induced.

Differential diagnosis:

Alopecia areata, drug induced photo-oncolysis.

Probable diagnosis:

Alopecia areata.

Treatment plan:

Apply steroid preparation over bald patches BD. Oral steroids may be required in future.

Preventive measures:

Maintain hygiene of the area, wash with soap and water, use vitamin containing shampoo preparation.


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