Hair Regrowth Following Partial Thickness Removal of SSCIS

September 2, 2026 updated by: Naomi Lawrence, The Cooper Health System

Hair Regrowth Following Partial Thickness Stages in Mohs Micrographic Surgery of Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Situ: A Prospective Pilot Study

Participants are being approached to participate in this study because they are undergoing surgery for a skin cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma in situ (SCCIS) on the scalp. Standard surgical techniques may remove deeper structures that contain hair follicles, which can result in permanent hair loss. This study evaluates whether a modified surgical technique, known as partial thickness excision, can preserve hair growth and improve cosmetic outcomes. Participation involves minimal risk beyond the standard risks of Mohs surgery. If patients choose to participate, their surgery will be performed using this technique, and photographs will be taken over time to evaluate hair regrowth and healing.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

15

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults ≥ 18 years old
  • Histologically confirmed SCCIS
  • Lesions located in the hair-bearing scalp
  • Ability to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Invasive, poorly differentiated, or high-risk SCC features (e.g., perineural invasion)
  • Recurrent SCC at the same site
  • Prior radiation therapy to the scalp
  • Scarring alopecia or active inflammatory scalp disease at the treatment site
  • Immunosuppression that, in the investigator's judgement, increases oncologic risk
  • Use of topical minoxidil, oral minoxidil, finasteride, spironolactone, or other hair-growth promoting agents

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Partial Thickness Excision
Participants will receive excision of their squamous cell carcinoma in situ of the scalp via partial thickness excision (removal of epidermal and superficial dermal tissue) in an effort to preserve hair follicles and hair growth potential.
Procedure: Partial Thickness Excision
Participants will receive excision of their squamous cell carcinoma in situ of the scalp via partial thickness excision (removal of epidermal and superficial dermal tissue) in an effort to preserve hair follicles and hair growth potential.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Hair Growth measured clinically by hair density percentage compared to baseline photo
Time Frame: 3 and 6 months post-procedure.
To evaluate hair growth following partial thickness excision of SCCIS at 3 and 6 months post-procedure.
3 and 6 months post-procedure.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Clearance of SCCIS measured by Mohs surgeons' interpretation of margins on surgical slides.
Time Frame: Immediately following the final Mohs stage during the index procedure
To assess clinical and histologic clearance of SCCIS treated with partial-thickness excision.
Immediately following the final Mohs stage during the index procedure
Patient Satisfaction measured via patient satisfaction questionnaire
Time Frame: 3 and 6 months post-procedure

To evaluate patient-reported satisfaction with hair density and cosmetic outcome.

"Are you satisfied with amount of hair//appearance of skin/result of treatment?" etc. on scale of 1-10. 1 being not satisfied and 10 being very satisfied/.
3 and 6 months post-procedure
Complications
Time Frame: 2 weeks post-procedure, 3 months post-procedure, and 6 months post-procedure
To document wound-healing, complications, and the need for additional treatment.
2 weeks post-procedure, 3 months post-procedure, and 6 months post-procedure

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

The Cooper Health System

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 17, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 17, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 4, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 2, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 2, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 26-044

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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