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What is alopecia, and what are the types?
"Alopecia" does not name one disease. The most common type is androgenetic alopecia, hereditary pattern hair loss, which affects about 80 million people in the US, 50 million men and 30 million women; studies of its treatments are on our hair loss treatment trials page. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune type that causes round patches and has its own alopecia areata clinical trials page. Telogen effluvium is heavy shedding a few months after stress, illness, or childbirth, and it usually recovers on its own. Traction alopecia comes from hairstyles that pull for a long time; caught early it can recover, but after years of pulling the loss becomes permanent. Hair loss from chemotherapy is usually temporary.
Then there are the scarring alopecias, where inflammation destroys the follicle and replaces it with scar tissue. Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA) starts at the crown and spreads outward. It is the most common cause of scarring hair loss in African American women, affecting an estimated 2.7 to 5.6 percent of Black women, and it runs in families. Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) and lichen planopilaris are more often seen in White patients, and FFA typically causes a receding band along the front hairline. There is no cure, and no medicine has been approved by the FDA for any scarring alopecia, so the goal of treatment is to stop the damage. It is surprising, but most of the medicine trials for these conditions only started in the last few years.
Types of alopecia clinical trials
Scarring alopecia medicine trials. Newer immune pills and creams, including JAK and TYK2 inhibitors, tested in CCCA, lichen planopilaris, and frontal fibrosing alopecia to see whether they can stop inflammation before more follicles are lost.
Light and laser trials. LED caps and lasers tested in CCCA, other scarring types, and pattern hair loss.
Pattern hair loss trials. Studies of topical and oral medicines, lasers, and procedures for hereditary thinning in men and women.
Chemotherapy hair loss trials. Scalp cooling and other ways to protect hair during cancer treatment, including studies designed for people of color.
Understanding the disease. Observational studies that examine the skin and follicles, such as research on facial changes that can come with frontal fibrosing alopecia.
Who can participate in alopecia clinical trials?
Most trials start with the exact type. Scarring alopecia studies usually require a diagnosis confirmed by a scalp biopsy and often want signs that the disease is still active, such as itching, burning, or redness. Pattern hair loss studies grade how far thinning has gone and may ask you to stop other hair treatments for a while first. Chemotherapy studies enroll people before treatment begins. Several studies specifically welcome women and people of color, who are often left out of hair research. Eligibility always varies by study.
Considering volunteering in a clinical trial? Explore our comprehensive guide to learn more about why people choose to volunteer and the impact you can make in advancing medical research. Discover the process of volunteering, what to consider before applying and the potential benefits and risks involved.
Scarring or non scarring: why the difference matters for trials
Non scarring alopecia. The follicle is alive, so trials measure regrowth: hair counts, photos, and scores that show how much of the scalp is covered.
Scarring alopecia. Lost follicles do not come back, so trials measure whether a treatment stops the disease from spreading and eases symptoms like itching and pain. Starting early matters, which is why scarring alopecia studies often want recent or active disease.
Study titles say "cicatricial" when they mean scarring, and they usually name the exact type. A biopsy result or a dermatologist's diagnosis tells you which studies fit.
Is alopecia genetic?
It depends on the type. Pattern hair loss is strongly hereditary, and CCCA runs in families. Alopecia areata has a genetic component too. Traction alopecia and telogen effluvium are triggered by pulling, stress, illness, or similar events rather than by genes.
Do alopecia trial participants get paid?
Some studies offer compensation for time and travel, and study related care is typically provided at no cost to participants. Compensation varies by trial and is always described during the informed consent process before you agree to anything.
Curious whether clinical trials pay participants? Here's how compensation actually works.
How to enroll in an alopecia clinical trial
Find your trial. Use the filters and start with your type: "cicatricial," "lichen planopilaris," "frontal fibrosing," "androgenetic," or "chemotherapy induced."
Choose a location. Enter your city or state. Scarring alopecia trials run at a small number of specialist centers, so widening the search helps.
Read the study details. Click "Learn More" for the required diagnosis, whether a biopsy is needed, and which treatments are allowed.
Complete the health profile. Click "Get started" to begin the 5-step application. Have three things ready: your diagnosis and whether it was confirmed by biopsy, where on the scalp the hair loss is and how long it has been happening, and the treatments you have tried.
Submit the application. A clinical trial coordinator reviews it and contacts you. Nothing is decided until you have gone through informed consent, and participation is voluntary at every step.