Q: My mother, aged 60 years, has been diagnosed with alopecia areata (currently 3 spots). I visited two dermatologists and both suggested Tricort injection 10 g on those spots, along with oral medicines. Is it advisable to go ahead with these injections, as it is essentially a steroid, what side affects can it have?

A:Intralesional steroid is one of the accepted mode of treatment for alopecia areata. Whenever choosing a particular method one has to take different factors into consideration. What may be suitable for one individual may not be so for the other. Since alopecia areata is not a life threatening disorder, I avoid medicines, which can have systemic side effects. Intralesional steroid injection given properly is safe. In general, I reserve this treatment for those cases where topical medication has failed, patient cannot hide them by changing the hairstyle and therefore it is leading to profound psychological problems.