Saint Louis University dermatology research fellow Jeaneen A. Chappell, M.D. is studying the comparative effectiveness of an anti-dandruff foam versus an anti-dandruff shampoo in African American women who wash their hair once a week or less.
“Dandruff is a common problem and it is possible that the most commonly prescribed treatment, an antifungal shampoo, is under-treating a certain population of women who do not wash their hair often enough for the medication to be effective,” says Chappell. She says African American women may choose hairstyles that limit everyday hair washing and may be missing out on the full effect of dandruff-treating shampoos.
“The antifungal foam is a possible solution to this problem because it does not require patients to wash their hair and has the same active ingredient as the shampoo,” she adds.
Up to 100 volunteers will be enrolled in the study. Participants must be African American women between 18 and 89 years old who wash their hair once weekly or less and have a problem with dandruff. They also must be willing to not grease their scalps for the duration of the study, although greasing the hair is allowed.
Those who participate in the trial must discontinue any previous over-the-counter or prescription dandruff treatments for two weeks prior to enrollment.
Those enrolled in the study will be randomly assigned to receive ketoconazole 2 percent foam or ketoconazole 2 percent shampoo. Everyone in the study will receive one of the two treatments. Participants who receive shampoo and do not see improvement in their dandruff will be offered foam at the end of the treatment period.
All study drugs, study supplies, study-related dermatology visits, and study-related tests will be provided to participants at no cost.
To learn more about the study, call Saint Louis University at (314) 256-3439.