TLDR Hair loss in both Androgenetic Alopecia and Alopecia Areata is often accompanied by inflammation around hair follicles, but the location and severity of this inflammation varies.
The study conducted a retrospective review of 96 scalp biopsy specimens from patients with Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) and Alopecia Areata (AA) from 2014 to 2019. The results showed that perifollicular lymphocytic infiltrates were present in most specimens (87.9% AGA, 81.6% AA), with no significant difference in incidence. However, AGA specimens were more likely to exhibit infundibular (58.6% vs 36.8%) and isthmic (79.3% vs 55.3%) infiltrates and less likely to demonstrate peribulbar infiltrates (0.0% vs 63.2%). The degree of inflammation did not differ significantly between the two groups. Follicular spongiosis was observed in 29.3% of AGA and 42.1% of AA cases. The study suggests that the association of inflammation with miniaturized follicles could indicate a possible mechanistic relationship, but larger, sex-matched studies are needed to confirm this.
11 citations,
April 2020 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Microinflammation is more intense in smaller hair follicles and may be linked to hair loss.
7 citations,
September 2019 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Inflammation and fibrosis are not significantly different in pattern hair loss compared to controls.
30 citations,
May 2016 in “International Journal of Cosmetic Science” Hair loss in women links to inflammation around hair follicles.
131 citations,
August 2000 in “International Journal of Dermatology” Inflammation may be linked to hair loss, and targeting specific enzymes could help treat it.
234 citations,
December 1996 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Middle-aged women with chronic telogen effluvium experience increased hair shedding but usually don't get significantly thinner hair.
1 citations,
August 2023 in “Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology” A condition with certain scalp changes may come before acne keloidalis nuchae and other similar hair loss disorders.
3 citations,
January 2019 in “Indian Journal of Dermatology” Transverse scalp biopsy sections help diagnose different alopecias by showing hair follicle details and inflammation patterns.
4 citations,
October 2013 in “Clinics in Dermatology” Experts don't fully agree on how to diagnose certain hair growth disorders and more research is needed to understand them better.
9 citations,
January 2010 in “International Journal of Trichology” The study found that the cause of alopecia areata can be identified through tissue analysis, and vertical sections are enough for diagnosis.
170 citations,
December 2009 in “Histopathology” The conclusion is that accurate diagnosis of different types of hair loss requires good teamwork between skin doctors and lab experts.
