Hair Loss After Rhytidectomy
July 2004
in “
Dermatologic Surgery
”
rhytidectomy bitemporal shedding thinning telogen effluvium hair follicles telogen phase peribulbar inflammation scarring hair shaft abnormality miniaturized hair follicles superficial perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates androgenetic alopecia facelift hair loss hair thinning resting phase hair follicle miniaturization
TLDR A woman had temporary hair loss due to a stress-related condition after a facelift.
The document reports a case of a 52-year-old woman experiencing hair loss after undergoing a rhytidectomy (facelift). She presented with bitemporal shedding and thinning 9 weeks post-surgery. Histopathologic examination of two punch biopsy specimens from the temporal area revealed findings consistent with acute localized telogen effluvium, a condition characterized by increased numbers of hair follicles in the resting (telogen) phase without peribulbar inflammation, scarring, or hair shaft abnormality. Additionally, the presence of miniaturized hair follicles and minimal superficial perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates suggested concurrent androgenetic alopecia. No treatment was suggested, and the patient experienced gradual resolution of shedding and regrowth of hair, returning to baseline density one year after the rhytidectomy. The study concludes that one mechanism for temporal hair loss after rhytidectomy is an acute localized telogen effluvium. This case is significant as it is the first histopathologic evaluation of hair loss after rhytidectomy to the authors' knowledge.
