Lichen Planopilaris Caused by Wig Attachment: A Case of Koebner Phenomenon in Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia
January 2018
in “
International Journal of Trichology
”
TLDR Wearing a wig caused a skin condition to develop in a woman with hair loss.
In 2018, a case study of a 59-year-old woman with Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA) showed that she developed Lichen Planopilaris (LPP), a type of scarring alopecia, at the sites of her wig attachments. This was the first reported case of FFA where LPP developed due to pressure from wig attachments, demonstrating the Koebner phenomenon, which is the development of skin lesions at the site of physical trauma. The study suggested that wigs could potentially trigger an isomorphic reaction in patients with FFA and concluded that patients with FFA should be cautious about scalp trauma and consider treatments that minimize irritation and inflammation.