Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: Role of Dermoscopy in Differential Diagnosis

Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) primarily affected postmenopausal women but could also occur in younger women, and some researchers considered it a frontal variant of lichen planopilaris. Clinically, FFA was marked by progressive frontotemporal hairline recession due to inflammatory follicle destruction. Dermoscopy proved useful in differentiating FFA from other conditions like traction alopecia, alopecia areata, and cicatricial marginal alopecia. The impact of treatment on the disease's progression was unclear, as it often stabilized over time regardless of treatment. The document included a case study of a 50-year-old woman with FFA, highlighting dermoscopy's role in diagnosis.