Jun 30, 2025

Wrapping your head around it

Hair loss and scalp disorder session will help dermatologists treat patients’ medical and emotional needs.

P011 – Managing Hair Disorders
9 a.m.–noon | Saturday, July 12
Grand Hall K

Both old and new therapies have a place in treating the physical effects of hair loss and scalp disorders. Yet, no discussion would be complete without also spotlighting the profound psychosocial aspects that make hair loss a unique and challenging problem. The 2025 AAD Innovation Academy session, P011 – Managing Hair Disorders, delves into this sensitive subject as well as other factors that can make the hair loss journey easier to understand and navigate.

Michelle B. Tarbox, MD, FAADHair loss is complex, said Michelle B. Tarbox, MD, FAAD, associate professor of dermatology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock. Dr. Tarbox is among the speakers at the session, which is designed to help dermatologists recognize the variety of causes of hair loss and scalp disorders, formulate individually appropriate treatment plans for affected patients, and recommend new and existing therapies useful for hair loss and scalp disorders.

“Hair loss is never ‘just cosmetic.’ It is deeply personal, often signaling an underlying pathology, and always deserving of a thoughtful, compassionate, and individualized approach,” Dr. Tarbox said. “Diagnosis is detective work. Treatment is teamwork. Healing is holistic.”

Session director Carolyn Goh, MD, FAAD, will lead a nine-person panel of experts in the field. In addition to Dr. Tarbox, the panel includes Victoria Holloway Barbosa, MD, FAAD; Kathie P. Huang, MD, FAAD; Chesahna Kindred, MD, MBA, FAAD; Amy J. McMichael, MD, FAAD; Paradi Mirmirani, MD, FAAD; Ingrid Roseborough, MD; Cathryn Joy Sibbald, MD, FAAD; and Meena Kumari Singh, MD, FAAD.

Kathie P. Huang, MD, FAADThe panel will underscore the importance of tailoring treatment to a patient’s medical and emotional needs. Although there are many medications available to treat hair loss, said Dr. Huang, an assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, medications might not be suitable for certain patients due to other comorbidities, or patients may prefer to avoid medications. For example, she said many patients with alopecia are interested in nutritional supplements for thickening their hair. Unfortunately, the data to support many of the nutritional supplements are limited.

“Patients are inundated with information from social media, and it is challenging to navigate all the information and advertising directed at patients,” Dr. Huang said. “Therefore, it is important for clinicians to be knowledgeable of the nutritional supplements available for hair loss so we can help guide patients to understand their risks and benefits.”