British Association of Dermatologists living guideline for managing people with alopecia areata 2025
- 14 November 2025
- journal article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in British Journal of Dermatology
- Vol. 194 (2) , e56-e73
Abstract
Lay Summary: Alopecia areata (AA) is a long-term condition that can occur in both children and adults. AA can appear as patches of baldness on the scalp. Sometimes, nail growth is also affected. Hair on other parts of the body may also fall out, such as the beard, eyebrows and eyelashes. Alopecia totalis is the name for total loss of scalp hair. Alopecia universalis is complete loss of scalp, facial and body hair. This is the second version of the guideline. The British Association of Dermatologists gathered a group of experts in managing people of all ages with AA. The group consisted of eight consultant dermatologists, one dermatology specialist registrar, one general practitioner, one psychologist, two people with AA and a team with expertise in preparing guidelines. This group of experts reviewed relevant studies published until 11 July 2025. Using the evidence, the group produced recommendations using rigorous standards for guideline development. The guideline development group produced 56 recommendations for management of people with AA. They also made 9 recommendations for future research and suggested 11 audit points for hospitals. Based on the guideline, a patient information leaflet is also available on the British Association of Dermatologists’ website (https://www.skinhealthinfo.org.uk/condition/alopecia-areata).Keywords
This publication has 85 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Alopecia Areata Severity and Morbidity Index (ASAMI) StudyJAMA Dermatology, 2024
- Efficacy of Methotrexate Alone vs Methotrexate Plus Low-Dose Prednisone in Patients With Alopecia Areata Totalis or UniversalisJAMA Dermatology, 2023
- A Global eDelphi Exercise to Identify Core Domains and Domain Items for the Development of a Global Registry of Alopecia Areata Disease Severity and Treatment Safety (GRASS)JAMA Dermatology, 2021
- Time-Dependent Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Patients With Alopecia Areata in KoreaJAMA Dermatology, 2020
- All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Risks Associated With Alopecia AreataJAMA Dermatology, 2019
- Assessment of a Bidirectional Association Between Major Depressive Disorder and Alopecia AreataJAMA Dermatology, 2019
- Screening Guidelines for Thyroid Function in Children With Alopecia AreataJAMA Dermatology, 2017
- A Brief Measure for Assessing Generalized Anxiety DisorderArchives of internal medicine (1960), 2006
- Systemic Steroids With or Without 2% Topical Minoxidil in the Treatment of Alopecia AreataArchives of Dermatology, 1992
- Alopecia AreataArchives of Dermatology, 1963