Treatment of Alopecia Areata, Alopecia Totalis and Alopecia Universalis with Oral Viviscal for 12 months

Swedish Alopecia Association, administrated by B. Prästbacka (chairman) and Patricia Brosdotter-Johansson (vice chairman)
The study was clinically monitored by M. Majass (md) and O. Puuste (md)
Department of Dermatology, Central Hospital, Tallinn, Estonia, 1994

Summary

Altogether 97 members of the Swedish Alopecia Association (RFH) with either alopecia areata, alopecia totalis or alopecia universalis volunteered to participate in a 12 months study to evaluate the effect of oral Viviscal on regrowth of scalp hair.

Thirteen patients withdrew after 3 - 4 months because of lack of effect of the treatment. The remaining 84 patients fulfilled the treatment and were therefore evaluable.

Fifty of these had alopecia areata, 12 alopecia totalis and 22 alopecia universalis. They all took two tablets of Viviscal daily for 12 months.

Before the study, and after 6 months and 12 months time periods, they filled out a questionnaire regarding the start of regrowth of scalp hair and the estimated area of the scalp with regrowth of permanent hair.

In the areata group, regrowth of permanent hair started to appear after approximately 6 months in 46 patients, in the totalis group in 10 patients after 4 months and in the universalis group after 5 months in 7 patients.

After 12 months 7 patients in the areata group (14%) showed complete regrowth of hair, 27 patients estimated a regrowth of 70 - 95%, 10 a regrowth of 50 - 65% and 6 a regrowth less than 50%.

In the totalis group, 3 patients had a complete hair regrowth, 3 a regrowth of 70 - 95%, 4 a regrowth of 50 - 65% and 3 a regrowth of hair less than 50%.

In the alopecia universalis group, one of the patients reported complete regrowth of hair, 4 had a regrowth of 70 -95% and one a regrowth of 50 - 65%, while 16 had less than 50% regrowth of scalp hair. 

Better nail growth was reported by all patients with weak nails prior to the study.

Overall 34 patients (68%) of the patients in the alopecia areata group, 6 of the patients (50%) of the patients in the alopecia totalis group and 5 patients (23%) in the alopecia universalis group were highly satisfied with the treatment results, while 10 (20%), 4 (33%) and 1 (5%), respectively estimated the end result as good.

There was a significant correlation between the treatment results and the type of alopecia, but no significant correlation between the sex and age of the patients or duration of hair loss could be observed. No adverse reactions or unexpected events were reported by the patients.

Treatment of Alopecia Areata and Alopecia Totalis With Viviscal (Special Marine Extract Compound)

A. Lassus, J. Santalahti, M. Sellmann
Helsinki Research Center, Helsinki, Finland
Dermatological Clinic, Leverkusen, Germany, 1993

Summary

Twenty patients with alopecia areata (mean duration 9 years) and 20 patients with alopecia totalis (mean duration of 7 years) were treated with 2 pills of Viviscal Liniment once daily and Viviscal shampoo 2 - 3 times per week for eight months.

Viviscal is a preparation containing mainly compound of marine extract and colloidal silicic acid.

Both group included 10 males and 10 females. All patients had earlier received topical steroids and 15 had had been treated with systemical corricosteroids. Most of them had also been treated with topical minoxidil and photochemotherapy.

Seventeen of the patients with alopecia areata (85%) were completely cured and two showed significant improvement.

One of the patients in this group deteriorated during the treatment period. Five (25%) of the patients with alopecia totalis were completely cured and four (20%) showed significant improvement, while 11 patients developed only minimal vellus hair.

This promising study showed that Viviscal is a further complement to the rather short list of remedies which alter the clinical course of alopecia areata and alopecia totalis.

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