Prognosis, Treatment, and Disease Outcomes in Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: A Retrospective Review of 92 Cases

December 2017 in “ Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology ”

Lauren C. Strazzulla, Lorena Avila, Xiaoxue Li, Kristen Lo Sicco, Jerry Shapiro

frontal fibrosing alopecia intralesional corticosteroids topical agents systemic agents tacrolimus clobetasol betamethasone doxycycline tetracycline minocycline FFA corticosteroids topical treatments systemic treatments

TLDR Most patients with frontal fibrosing alopecia stabilized with treatment, especially younger ones, using intralesional corticosteroids and tacrolimus.

This retrospective review of 92 patients with frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) found that 70.7% of patients stabilized with treatment after an average of 10.4 months. The study identified that a younger age of onset was associated with a less severe disease course. Most patients (71.7%) were treated with intralesional corticosteroids combined with topical and systemic agents. Tacrolimus was found to be more effective in achieving stabilization within 3 months compared to clobetasol/betamethasone. Adverse effects were more common in patients treated with doxycycline, tetracycline, or minocycline. Limitations included the retrospective design and small sample size.

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Research cited in this study

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research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: A Multicenter Review of 355 Patients

339 citations , February 2014 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

Most patients with frontal fibrosing alopecia are postmenopausal women, and treatments like finasteride and dutasteride can improve or stabilize the condition.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: To Treat or Not to Treat?

29 citations , July 2010 in “Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery”

Treatments for Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia have not been proven effective.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: Clinical Presentations and Prognosis

155 citations , September 2008 in “British journal of dermatology/British journal of dermatology, Supplement”

FFA is more common in postmenopausal women, can affect younger women, and may stabilize over time.

research A Case-Series of 29 Patients with Lichen Planopilaris: The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Experience on Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Treatment

113 citations , May 2007 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

The study found that steroids and tetracycline helped treat active Lichen planopilaris, and hair transplants were good for later stages.

research Postmenopausal Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

325 citations , June 1994 in “Archives of Dermatology”

Postmenopausal frontal fibrosing alopecia may be a unique condition linked to postmenopausal changes.

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