Hair texture may alter as a side effect of medications, according to a study published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.¹ Hair texture changes were most commonly associated with antineoplastic drugs.

Researchers carried out a review of 31 published articles involving 2594 patients to characterize the changes in hair texture associated with medications and to also find out the most commonly implicated drugs. The articles were searched from PubMed and Cochrane databases. The average age of the study subjects was 48.4 years and about 42% of them were female.  

Analysis of data revealed antineoplastic drugs (n = 97) were most commonly associated with hair texture changes. The antiepileptics (n = 56) were the second most common group. The other drug classes associated with hair texture changes were retinoids (n = 15), immunomodulators (n = 3) and antiretrovirals (n = 1).

The most common types of textural changes were de novo or exaggerated curling patterns i.e. curling of straight hair or more curling of curly hair. Kinking, waving of hair were also seen. The changes occurred within 5 months following use of immunomodulator drugs, whereas with antiretrovirals, the hair texture changes took 17 months to appear. While most changes reversed in 3 week to 5 years after the therapy, the changes associated with the use of antiretrovirals, retinoids and antineoplastics were irreversible.

This study has correlated hair texture changes with five groups of drugs: antineoplastics, antiepileptics, retinoids, immunomodulators and antiretroviral therapy. Side-effects are undesired effects of medications and any change in the texture of hair may have psychosocial impact on the patient. Hence, clinicians should be aware of this potential side effect and communicate to the patient before initiating treatment with these drugs.

Reference

1. Phong C, et al. Systemic medications associated with hair texture changes. J Drugs Dermatol. 2022 Sep 1;21(9):989-996. doi: 10.36849/JDD.6852.