Background: The retinoid alitretinoin is a therapeutic option for chronic refractory hand eczema. Dryness of skin and mucosa, erythema, pruritus and alopecia are typical cutaneous side effects.
Case report: We report the case of a 44-year-old man whose head hair became curly while taking alitretinoin. Other causes could not be elicited as the patient was otherwise healthy, did not take any other drugs, and denied any specific physical or mental stress.
Results: Until now there has been no report about hair curling under alitretinoin. Case reports exist for the retinoids acitretin, isotretinoin and etretinate and for other drugs such as valproat or EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitors. The underlying pathogenetic mechanisms are still unclear. With regard to retinoids, an influence on the keratinisation of the inner root sheath has been speculated; however further investigation will be needed to better understand the processes.