Reassessing Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

October 2008 in “ Expert Review of Dermatology ”

Dimitrios Rigopoulos, Efstathios Rallis, Stamatis Gregoriou, Andreas Katsambas

frontal fibrosing alopecia scarring alopecia frontoparietal hairline eyebrows lichen planopilaris oral prednisone chloroquine clinicopathologic correlation postmenopausal women FFA LPP prednisone

TLDR Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia is a slowly progressing hair loss condition, likely underdiagnosed, with ineffective treatments, needing more research to understand it fully.

The 2008 review on Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA) described it as a scarring alopecia that progresses slowly, mainly affecting the frontoparietal hairline and eyebrows, predominantly in women over 60. With only 117 cases reported, the condition was believed to be underdiagnosed. Histologically, FFA was similar to Lichen Planopilaris (LPP) and required clinicopathologic correlation for diagnosis. Treatments like oral prednisone or chloroquine were ineffective, and symptoms often worsened after stopping them. The review emphasized the need for more extensive research to understand FFA's characteristics, causes, and treatment, and questioned whether FFA should be considered a separate condition or a variant of LPP due to its unique presentation in postmenopausal women and poor response to treatment.

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Research cited in this study

13 / 13 results

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Assessment

54 citations , November 2007 in “Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas”

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia Versus Lichen Planopilaris: A Clinicopathological Study

126 citations , April 2006 in “International Journal of Dermatology”

The conclusion is that FFA and LPP have similar scalp biopsy features, making them hard to distinguish histologically, and FFA may be a specific kind of scarring hair loss.

research Female Pattern Hair Loss and Its Relationship to Permanent/Cicatricial Alopecia: A New Perspective

73 citations , November 2005 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings”

Some women with common hair loss may develop permanent hair loss.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: A Survey in 16 Patients

123 citations , August 2005 in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology”

The study found that Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia affects a broader age range of women and early treatment can help stop hair loss.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia Developing After Hair Transplantation for Androgenetic Alopecia

64 citations , January 2005 in “International Journal of Dermatology”

Hair transplant destroyed by lichen planopilaris.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia in Postmenopausal Women

179 citations , December 2004 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

Some postmenopausal women with frontal fibrosing alopecia stopped losing hair with finasteride treatment, hinting at a possible hormonal cause.

research Case Reports

6 citations , July 2004 in “JDDG Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft”

Frontal fibrosing alopecia in postmenopausal women can be managed with early treatment using corticosteroids to stop hair loss.

research Post-Menopausal Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

49 citations , January 2003 in “Clinical and Experimental Dermatology”

The document concludes that post-menopausal frontal fibrosing alopecia is a poorly understood condition that does not respond well to common treatments.

research Postmenopausal Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

57 citations , January 2003 in “Clinical and experimental dermatology”

Postmenopausal frontal fibrosing alopecia is a type of hair loss in postmenopausal women that may stop on its own but has no effective treatment.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia Associated with Cutaneous Lichen Planus in a Premenopausal Woman

89 citations , February 2002 in “Australasian journal of dermatology”

A premenopausal woman had hair loss and skin issues, treated with topical steroids.

research Acquired Scalp Alopecia: A Review

44 citations , November 1998 in “Australasian Journal of Dermatology”

Accurate diagnosis is key for treating different kinds of hair loss, and immune response variations may affect the condition and treatment results.

research Postmenopausal Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: A Frontal Variant of Lichen Planopilaris

329 citations , January 1997 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

Frontal fibrosing alopecia is a hair loss condition in postmenopausal women, similar to lichen planopilaris, with ineffective treatments.

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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