Localized Telogen Effluvium After Face Lift Surgery

A 62-year-old woman experienced frontal and bitemporal hair shedding and thinning two months after undergoing a rhytidectomy (face lift surgery). The hair pull test was positive around the suture line but negative in other scalp areas. A scalp biopsy showed an increased number of telogen hair follicles without peribulbar inflammation, scarring, or hair shaft abnormality. She was diagnosed with telogen effluvium, a condition of temporary hair loss, which was attributed to the surgery. Without any treatment, the patient's hair shedding stopped, and hair regrowth was observed around the affected areas four months post-surgery. The case supports the notion that localized telogen effluvium can be a cause of temporary hair loss after face lift surgery. Preoperative and postoperative use of minoxidil has been suggested to reduce such hair loss. Dermatologic surgeons are advised to minimize trauma to hair follicles during surgery to prevent this condition.