British Association of Dermatologists living guideline for managing people with alopecia areata 2025
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).
Authors
- Anita Takwale (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0329-3205)
- Anna Ascott (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9426-1898)
- M.F. Mohd Mustapa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4070-0696)
- Amy J. Johnson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0306-4646)
- Susan Holmes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8571-2653)
- A. E. Macbeth (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2421-5113)
- Maria Hashme (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3408-5351)
- Paul Farrant (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9695-0884)
- Matthew Harries (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0563-8690)
- Andrew R. Thompson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6788-7222)
- Andrew G. Messenger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1424-8069)
- Alia Ahmed (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2014-0118)
- Julian Pearce (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0505-2913)
- Alina M Constantin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1983-2010)
- Joseph Earley
Institutions
- Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (GB)
- British Psychological Society (GB)
- Barts Health NHS Trust (GB)
- Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (GB)
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GB)
- Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- Royal London Hospital (GB)
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- University of Manchester (GB)
- Alopecia UK (GB)
- Salford Royal Hospital (GB)
- British Association of Dermatologists (GB)
- University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (GB)
- Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust (GB)
- University of Glasgow (GB)
- University of Sheffield (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- British Journal of Dermatology
- Published
- 2025-11-13
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/bjd/ljaf452
- Primary Topic
- Hair Growth and Disorders
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Pfizer
- Sanofi
- Alopecia UK
- National Institute for Health and Care Research
- British Association of Dermatologists
- Sun Pharma
- Manchester Biomedical Research Centre