Steven Kossard's Postmenopausal Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: A Therapeutic Dilemma
January 2010
in “
PubMed
”
TLDR Current treatments for postmenopausal frontal fibrosing alopecia stop hair loss but don't regrow hair.
Steven Kossard identified a type of hair loss called postmenopausal frontal fibrosing alopecia (PFFA), characterized by a symmetric regression of the frontal hairline and often affecting the eyebrows, with histology showing lichen planopilaris. The condition was primarily observed in elderly women. In a reported case, systemic and local corticosteroid therapy halted disease progression, but no hair regrowth was observed over a 6-month period. Although a hormonal basis was not proven, finasteride's effectiveness in some cases suggested a potential androgenic role. Corticosteroids did not achieve permanent remission or hair regrowth, indicating a need for more innovative treatments, such as skin transplantation and 5-alpha reductase blockers, which were effective in male androgenetic alopecia.