What’s Shaping the Future of Alopecia Treatment, According to Leading Clinicians

Hair loss was a front-and-center theme at the 2025 Society of Dermatology Physician Associates (SDPA) Annual Summer Dermatology Conference in Washington, DC, where several key opinion leaders and experts shared practical, evidence-based approaches for managing and treating alopecia areata, scarring alopecias, and non-scarring hair loss.

Across several sessions, dermatology clinicians received a toolkit of diagnostic and therapeutic insights, from the evolving role of JAK inhibitors to the diagnostic power of trichoscopy, and the hidden role of allergic triggers. We've compiled a list of the top 3 takeaways from talks on hair loss.

1. JAK Inhibitors Reshape the Treatment Landscape for Alopecia Areata

David Cotter, MD, PhD, of Las Vegas Dermatology, spoke at a session titled, “JAK-ing Up Alopecia Areata,” providing attendees with a deep dive into the immunologic pathways of the disease and a clear rationale for targeting the JAK/STAT pathway.

“We actually have T cells migrating into an area of the hair follicle and causing inflammation that results in hair loss. What we see clinically is usually coin or circular-shaped areas of non scarring alopecia that can transform and extend to be complete hair loss in the entire body, and things like alopecia universalis,” Cotter said. “Because of that, it makes a lot of sense to target the T cells to treat this disease, and when we think about some of the best T cell targeting medications that we have available to us, those are JAK inhibitors. JAK inhibitors specifically inhibit the signaling pathways that are critical to T cells to not just flourish and develop but also mediate some of the pathologic effects.”

In clinical practice, Cotter emphasized that disease severity, comorbidities, and the extent of scalp or body involvement all inform therapeutic selection. For patients with more widespread or treatment-resistant disease, Cotter recommends reaching for systemic JAK inhibitors, several of which are now FDA-approved, including: baricitinib (Olumiant; Eli Lilly and Company), ritlecitinib (Litfulo; Pfizer, Inc), and most recently, deuruxolitinib (Leqselvi; Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd).

Cotter also pointed out that while patients with more limited forms of alopecia areata tend to respond better overall, patterns like ophiasis, historically considered hard to treat, now respond well with JAK inhibitors, although it may take months to over a year to see meaningful hair regrowth.

Watch Cotter's interview at SDPA here.

2. Trichoscopy Is a Time-Saving, Diagnosis-Changing Tool

Amy Spizuoco, DO, FAOCD, a Dermatology Times Editorial Advisory Board member and clinical instructor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, spoke in 2 sessions focused on alopecia evaluation: “The Role of Trichoscopy in Clinical Hair Loss Evaluation” and “Understanding Non-Scarring Alopecia.”

In an interview following the talks, Spizuoco emphasized how trichoscopy has transformed her clinical workflow.

“It’s helped tremendously when I look for the different patterns that are seen in scarring and non-scarring,” she said. “A lot of times, it prevents me from doing a biopsy and taking more time to get a diagnosis for my patients, and being less invasive, so it’s really helpful.”

By visualizing subtle markers of scarring versus non-scarring alopecia in real time, trichoscopy allows for faster and less invasive decision-making. She encouraged attendees to incorporate it into routine assessments, noting its low cost and high yield.

“It’s something we should all be using,” she said. “It’s cost-effective, it’s time-effective, and it helps you avoid missing diagnoses you might not catch otherwise.”

Watch Spizuoco's interview at SDPA here.

3. When Scarring Alopecia Doesn’t Improve, Think Allergy

Maria Hordinsky, MD, R.W. Goltz Professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Minnesota, led a clinical deep-dive titled “Spotting Scarring Alopecia Early: Clues, Challenges, and Clinical Pearls.”

While the session covered many diagnostic challenges of scarring alopecias, her post-session pearl stood out for its clinical relevance: When patients with scarring alopecia are not improving on guideline-directed therapy, consider allergic contact dermatitis.

Hordinsky cautioned that even when clinicians follow best practices, improvement can stall if the patient is unknowingly reacting to ingredients in prescribed treatments or injections.

“Sometimes the treatments we prescribe or the injections we do have chemicals in them your patient might be allergic to,” she noted. Patch testing in these cases may uncover hidden allergens that, once removed, can dramatically improve outcomes.

She also acknowledged the growing momentum in hair research, particularly in scarring conditions, but emphasized the need for more robust clinical trials.

“We need really good, standardized clinical trials to prove what treatments work or don’t work,” she said.

Watch Hordinsky's interview at SDPA here.

The Bottom Line: Hair Loss is Heating Up

From efficacious new systemic therapies to nuanced diagnostic strategies and emerging allergy insights, the 2025 SDPA Summer Conference made it clear that hair loss management is undergoing a transformation. These expert perspectives not only reflect the current state of care but point to a future where precision diagnosis and treatment personalization will continue to evolve.

As Hordinsky summed up the state of hair loss research: “Hair is hot,” and for dermatology providers, keeping up with the latest advances has never been more essential.

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