TLDR Frontal fibrosing alopecia mostly affects postmenopausal women, with diagnosis often delayed by 3 years.
The study described a retrospective observational analysis of 38 female patients diagnosed with frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) at the Dermatology Service of the Hospital de Clínicas of the Federal University of Paraná and a private dermatological clinic. The mean age of participants was 61.1 years, with most having skin type 2. The average time from disease onset to correct diagnosis was 3 years. At disease onset, 26.31% of patients were premenopausal, and 73.68% were postmenopausal, with 42.1% having undergone hormone replacement therapy before FFA diagnosis. The mean age of disease onset was 44 years for premenopausal and 59 years and 7 months for postmenopausal patients.
339 citations,
February 2014 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Most patients with frontal fibrosing alopecia are postmenopausal women, and treatments like finasteride and dutasteride can improve or stabilize the condition.
155 citations,
September 2008 in “British journal of dermatology/British journal of dermatology, Supplement” FFA is more common in postmenopausal women, can affect younger women, and may stabilize over time.
123 citations,
August 2005 in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” The study found that Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia affects a broader age range of women and early treatment can help stop hair loss.
89 citations,
February 2002 in “Australasian journal of dermatology” A premenopausal woman had hair loss and skin issues, treated with topical steroids.
April 2024 in “Archiv EuroMedica” Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy helps increase hair density and regrowth for some types of hair loss.
1 citations,
January 2024 in “Journal of personalized medicine” Hormonal imbalances during menopause may significantly contribute to Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia.
13 citations,
August 2020 in “Mayo Clinic proceedings” Women with lichen planopilaris often have thyroid disease, depression, anxiety, and may respond to treatment with slowed disease progression.
98 citations,
February 2013 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Dutasteride may help stabilize Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia, but more research is needed.
61 citations,
January 2019 in “American Journal of Clinical Dermatology” The cause of Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia is unclear, diagnosis involves clinical evaluation and various treatments exist, but their effectiveness is uncertain.
