Pohl-Pinkus Constrictions of Hair Following Chemotherapy for Hodgkin's Disease

A 30-year-old man with Hodgkin's disease developed Pohl-Pinkus constrictions in his hair following chemotherapy treatment. After receiving four courses of ABVD chemotherapy and subsequent radiotherapy, the patient exhibited Beau's lines on his nails and noticed alternating thick and thin segments in his scalp hair, along with some diffuse thinning. Pohl-Pinkus constrictions are a result of diminished hair follicle function during physiological stress, such as chemotherapy, where the hair follicle continues to produce hair but with a reduced diameter, leading to these characteristic constrictions. This condition is distinct from telogen effluvium, where there is a gradual cessation of hair growth and subsequent shedding, and anagen effluvium, where there is immediate shedding post-chemotherapy.