Dermoscopy Findings of the Axilla of Women With Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

December 2023 in “ JEADV Clinical Practice ”

Andréia Munck, Aline Donati, Carla Jorge Machado, Neusa Yuriko Sakai Valente, Ricardo Romiti

frontal fibrosing alopecia FFA axillary hair hairless follicular openings follicular ostium hair diameter variability brownish peripillary halo

TLDR Brownish halos around axillary hair can help diagnose frontal fibrosing alopecia.

This study investigated the dermoscopic findings of axillary hair in 30 women with frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) compared to a control group without FFA. The results showed that 93.3% of FFA patients had axillary hair with hairless follicular openings, and 70% had more than one hair per follicular ostium. Variability in hair diameter was observed in 83.3% of cases. Notably, a brownish peripillary halo was present in 83.3% of FFA patients, with an odds ratio of 2.7, indicating a significantly higher occurrence compared to controls. These findings suggest that brownish peripillary halos could serve as a diagnostic clue for FFA in the axillary region, helping to differentiate it from other dermatoses.

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Research cited in this study

7 / 7 results

research Isolated Eyebrow Loss in Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: Relevance of Early Diagnosis and Treatment

27 citations , May 2016 in “British journal of dermatology/British journal of dermatology, Supplement”

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: A Multicenter Review of 355 Patients

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Most patients with frontal fibrosing alopecia are postmenopausal women, and treatments like finasteride and dutasteride can improve or stabilize the condition.

research Acute Hair Loss on the Limbs in Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: A Clinicopathological Study of Two Cases

31 citations , April 2010 in “British journal of dermatology/British journal of dermatology, Supplement”

Frontal fibrosing alopecia can cause sudden hair loss on limbs, similar to scalp hair loss.

research Dermoscopic Pattern of Cicatricial Alopecia Caused by Discoid Lupus Erythematosus and Lichen Planopilaris

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Dermoscopy helps diagnose and monitor treatment for hair loss from scarring conditions like discoid lupus and lichen planopilaris.

research Dermoscopy in Female Androgenic Alopecia: Method Standardization and Diagnostic Criteria

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Trichoscopy can diagnose female hair loss with high accuracy by looking for specific patterns in hair and scalp appearance.

research Postmenopausal Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: A Frontal Variant of Lichen Planopilaris

329 citations , January 1997 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

Frontal fibrosing alopecia is a hair loss condition in postmenopausal women, similar to lichen planopilaris, with ineffective treatments.

research Postmenopausal Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

325 citations , June 1994 in “Archives of Dermatology”

Postmenopausal frontal fibrosing alopecia may be a unique condition linked to postmenopausal changes.

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research Dermoscopy Findings of the Axilla of Women With Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

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Brownish halos around axillary hair can help diagnose frontal fibrosing alopecia.

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