Acquired Progressive Kinking of the Hair
October 1999
in “
Archives of Dermatology
”
Studysummary This discussion suggests that acquired progressive kinking of hair in androgen-dependent scalp areas may indicate the early stages of androgenetic alopecia with a poor prognosis, but it offers no new clinical findings. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The study focused on 7 male patients aged 15 to 22 with acquired progressive kinking of the hair (APKH), which presented as curly, frizzy, and lusterless hair in the frontotemporal region and progressed to androgenetic alopecia over an average of 4.5 years. All patients had a strong family history of androgenetic alopecia, and scalp pathology indicated early stages of this condition. Treatment with topical minoxidil did not prevent hair thinning, suggesting a poor prognosis for APKH as it appeared to be an early form of androgenetic alopecia. The study emphasized the need for further research into the causes and treatment of APKH, as existing treatments were largely ineffective.