Case Report: Repigmentation and complete hair regrowth in an 11-year-old preadolescent with alopecia totalis treated with a JAK inhibitor - Summary - MDSpire

Case Report: Repigmentation and complete hair regrowth in an 11-year-old preadolescent with alopecia totalis treated with a JAK inhibitor

  • By

  • Yanhong Jia

  • Xue Wang

  • Yuanxiang Liu

  • Zigang Xu

  • Bin Zhang

  • July 16, 2026

Share

Objective:

To report a case of complete hair regeneration and repigmentation in a child with severe alopecia totalis following JAK inhibitor therapy.

Approach:
  • Patient Background: An 11-year-old girl with alopecia totalis for two years, initially treated with baricitinib and later switched to ritlecitinib.
  • Treatment Details: Baricitinib was administered for seven months, achieving SALT 65% with white and gray hair regrowth. Ritlecitinib was introduced at 50 mg/day, leading to black hair emergence at 6 weeks and complete regrowth at 6 months.
Key Findings:
  • Complete hair regrowth and repigmentation were achieved after 12 months of ritlecitinib therapy.
  • Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI) improved from 18 to 4.
  • No significant adverse effects were reported during treatment.
Interpretation:

Limitations:
  • The findings are based on a single case study, limiting generalizability.
  • Current evidence on the relationship between treatment duration and repigmentation is largely limited to case reports.
Conclusion:

The case provides valuable real-world evidence for the phenomenon of hair repigmentation in pediatric alopecia areata following JAK inhibitor treatment.

Original Source(s)

Related Content