Pachyonychia Congenita-Associated Alopecia. A Microscopic Analysis Using Transverse Section Technique

Pachyonychia congenita (PC) is a rare genetic skin disorder that sometimes includes alopecia, affecting 10% of patients. This study provided the first microscopic analysis of PC-associated alopecia, revealing specific histologic features such as reduced follicular density, follicular miniaturization, dyskeratosis of outer root sheath keratinocytes, and follicular hyperkeratosis. While these features can appear in other nonscarring alopecias, their combination might be unique to PC-associated alopecia. The differential diagnoses considered were alopecia areata, androgenetic alopecia, and traction alopecia/trichotillomania.