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

Studysummary This review discusses frontal fibrosing alopecia, noting its frequent misdiagnosis and highlighting the need for larger studies to better understand its epidemiology, causes, and treatment options; it reports no new clinical findings. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

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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13 / 13 results

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Assessment

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

Early diagnosis of frontal fibrosing alopecia is crucial to prevent permanent hair loss.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia Versus Lichen Planopilaris: A Clinicopathological Study

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

This study found that frontal fibrosing alopecia and lichen planopilaris have similar histopathological features, but FFA exhibits more prominent apoptosis and less inflammation with spared interfollicular epidermis.

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”

This article reviews the potential relationship between different forms of permanent hair loss such as cicatricial pattern hair loss and discusses related conditions, reporting no new clinical findings.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: A Survey in 16 Patients

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

In this study, the researchers observed that treatment with intralesional and topical corticosteroids, finasteride, and minoxidil may stop the progression of frontal fibrosing alopecia in postmenopausal and premenopausal women.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia Developing After Hair Transplantation for Androgenetic Alopecia

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

This report discusses cases of frontal fibrosing alopecia developing after hair transplantation for androgenetic alopecia, without presenting new clinical findings.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia in Postmenopausal Women

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

This study observed that frontal fibrosing alopecia in postmenopausal women involves selective follicular inflammation, and finasteride treatment may slow disease progression, suggesting a potential androgen-related component.

research Case Reports

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

This case report documents two postmenopausal women with frontal fibrosing alopecia whose hair loss stabilized after treatment with topical corticosteroids, one also using minoxidil.

research Postmenopausal Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

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

This study identified postmenopausal frontal fibrosing alopecia as a distinct form of scarring alopecia in postmenopausal women, noting a potential link with a history of bilateral oophorectomy.

research Post-Menopausal Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

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

This report from the UK reviews the literature on post-menopausal frontal fibrosing alopecia and highlights its under-recognition and distinctive characteristics compared to lichen planopilaris, but does not provide new results.

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

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

This case report describes the first known instance of fibrosing alopecia associated with cutaneous lichen planus, suggesting fibrosing alopecia may be a variant of lichen planopilaris.

research Acquired Scalp Alopecia: A Review

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

This review provides a framework for diagnosing acquired scalp alopecias and discusses both non-scarring and scarring types, but reports no new clinical results.

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

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

This study reports that progressive frontal fibrosing alopecia, a distinct and gradually stabilizing form of lichen planopilaris affecting elderly women and often involving eyebrow hair loss, lacks effective treatments.

research Postmenopausal Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

325 citations , June 1994 in “Archives of Dermatology”

This study observed that progressive frontal recession in postmenopausal women may exhibit features of fibrosing alopecia, suggesting a distinct reaction pattern from typical lichen planopilaris.