Hair Follicle Miniaturization in a Woolly Hair Nevus

February 2016 in “ American Journal of Dermatopathology ”

Ophelia Veraitch, A. Perez, Seikh Azimul Hoque, Gema Vizcay-Barrena, Roland A. Fleck, David A. Fenton, Catherine M. Stefanato

hair follicle miniaturization woolly hair nevus vellus hairs terminal hairs anagen to telogen ratio topical minoxidil minoxidil

Studysummary This case study reports on an 11-year-old boy with woolly hair nevus, featuring twisted hair shafts and an abnormal hair cuticle, alongside epidermal nevi on his face and back. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

The document describes the case of an 11-year-old boy with woolly hair nevus, which is characterized by a patch of tightly curled hair. The boy experienced hair thinning but no other abnormalities. Examination showed hair follicle miniaturization in the affected area, with an equal number of vellus and terminal hairs (T:V ratio of 1:1) compared to a 7:1 ratio in normal scalp, and a lower anagen to telogen ratio (A:T ratio of 4.2:1) versus 8:1 in the control scalp. The woolly hairs were also thinner and had an abnormal cuticle. Treatment with topical minoxidil 5% improved the condition, but symptoms returned after stopping the treatment. This case highlights the importance of considering woolly hair nevus in diagnoses of scalp disorders with miniaturization.

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Research cited in this study

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research Histopathology of Alopecia: A Clinicopathological Approach to Diagnosis

170 citations , December 2009 in “Histopathology”

This review discusses the histopathological diagnosis of scarring and non-scarring alopecias, emphasizing the importance of adequate tissue sampling and clinical information; it reports no new empirical results.

research Woolly Hair Nevus: A Rare Case with Late Onset in Adolescence

40 citations , February 1990 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

This study presents the first reported case of woolly hair nevus appearing during adolescence, with significant improvement observed 5 years later and structural changes in the hair documented.