Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia in Postmenopausal Women

April 2012 in “ Informa Healthcare eBooks ”

Maria Cristina Fiorucci, Emanuele Cozzani, Aurora Parodi, Alfredo Rebora

frontal fibrosing alopecia marginal alopecia lichen planopilaris perifollicular fibrosis lymphocytic inflammation scalp biopsy lichen planus pilaris

TLDR Frontal fibrosing alopecia is a type of hair loss that usually happens after menopause.

Two postmenopausal women with frontal fibrosing alopecia (one biopsy-proven) exhibited progressive marginal alopecia without the multifocal involvement or mucosal/cutaneous lesions typical of lichen planopilaris. Scalp biopsies revealed perifollicular fibrosis and lymphocytic inflammation, histologically similar to lichen planopilaris. Thus, frontal fibrosing alopecia was considered a variant of lichen planus pilaris, specifically localized and typically occurring postmenopause.

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Research cited in this study

9 / 9 results

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: A Clinical Review of 36 Patients

159 citations, August 2010 in “British journal of dermatology/British journal of dermatology, Supplement”

Hydroxychloroquine effectively reduces symptoms of frontal fibrosing alopecia, especially in the first 6 months.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: To Treat or Not to Treat?

29 citations, July 2010 in “Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery”

Treatments for Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia have not been proven effective.

research Efficacy and Safety of Mycophenolate Mofetil for Lichen Planopilaris

66 citations, January 2010 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

Mycophenolate mofetil was effective for most patients in treating scarring hair loss, but some had side effects.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: Clinical Presentations and Prognosis

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.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia Versus Lichen Planopilaris: A Clinicopathological Study

126 citations, April 2006 in “International Journal of Dermatology”

The conclusion is that FFA and LPP have similar scalp biopsy features, making them hard to distinguish histologically, and FFA may be a specific kind of scarring hair loss.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: A Survey in 16 Patients

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.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia in Postmenopausal Women

179 citations, December 2004 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

Some postmenopausal women with frontal fibrosing alopecia stopped losing hair with finasteride treatment, hinting at a possible hormonal cause.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia Associated with Cutaneous Lichen Planus in a Premenopausal Woman

89 citations, February 2002 in “Australasian journal of dermatology”

A premenopausal woman had hair loss and skin issues, treated with topical steroids.

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.

Related Community Posts Join

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community Fibrosing alopecia in a pattern distribution

in Research/Science 14 upvotes 11 months ago

A user has been experiencing hair loss for 4 years, with treatments like minoxidil, finasteride, and various supplements proving ineffective. They were diagnosed with fibrosing alopecia in a pattern distribution, a condition that may require a combination of anti-inflammatory and hair growth treatments.

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in Research/Science 36 upvotes 3 weeks ago

DUPA and retrograde alopecia may not be solely DHT-based, and a biopsy is crucial for accurate diagnosis and treatment. Treatments mentioned include dutasteride, oral minoxidil, pioglitazone, clobetasol, calcipotriol, ketoconazole, and doxycycline, depending on the specific condition.

community If You Have DUPA, PLEASE READ THIS: Everyone Should Be Scalp Biopsied

in Research 830 upvotes 6 months ago

Scalp biopsies are crucial for diagnosing hair loss conditions like Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA) and retrograde hair loss, as treatments like finasteride and dutasteride may not be effective if other conditions are present. Combining PPAR-GAMMA agonists with retinoids could improve treatments for conditions like Lichen Planopilaris.

community almost 6 months of progress :)

in Progress Pictures 535 upvotes 2 months ago

The user shared their 6-month hair regrowth progress using finasteride, minoxidil, biotin, and iron supplements, along with occasional microneedling and specific shampoos. They reported minimal side effects and no retrograde alopecia, attributing their success to a combination of treatments.

community Where to Begin with Microneedling?

in Treatment 17 upvotes 1 year ago

User is considering microneedling to enhance hair regrowth after limited response to minoxidil and better results with finasteride and ketoconazole shampoo. Recommendations include using a 1.5mm derma roller once a week, avoiding minoxidil on microneedling days, and disinfecting the roller with isopropyl alcohol.

community M18 - 7 Months on topical fin + min Not working for me

in Finasteride/Dutasteride 84 upvotes 3 days ago

Topical finasteride and minoxidil are not effective for the user, who is considering switching to oral treatments like finasteride or dutasteride. Many suggest oral medications are more effective, and some recommend additional treatments like microneedling and other topical solutions.

Related Research

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research Bold to Do — Bald to Be? Outcomes Decades After Harvesting the Scalp in Burned Children

5 citations, October 2018 in “Burns”

Most patients who had scalp skin removed for burns as children had normal hair growth and were satisfied years later.

research Incidental Syringomas of the Scalp in a Patient with Scarring Alopecia

4 citations, July 2015 in “Case Reports in Dermatology”

A woman with unexplained hair loss was found to have harmless skin tumors and a scarring hair loss condition, but the tumors didn't cause the hair loss.