Reply to 'Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia'

    August 2014 in “ Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology ”
    Sergio Vañó‐Galván, Salvador Arias‐Santiago, Francisco Camacho
    Image of study
    TLDR Smoking doesn't cause or prevent Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia, hormonal imbalance may be involved, and a combination of antiandrogens and steroids can help stabilize the condition.
    The document is a reply to a letter regarding a study on Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA). The authors, Sergio Vaño-Galván and colleagues, address several points raised by Susan Holmes and Alison MacDonald. They clarify that smoking does not appear to trigger or protect against FFA, based on their study and Holmes and MacDonald's study. They suggest hormonal imbalance, particularly in postmenopausal women, may play a role in FFA's pathogenesis, but acknowledge that this does not explain all cases. They also discuss the difficulty in assessing treatment response, noting that while hair regrowth was minimal, stabilization of the condition was achieved in some patients. Specifically, they highlight that antiandrogenic drugs were used in 111 of 355 patients (31%), with stabilization observed in all cases and improvement in 28 patients (25.2%) who did not receive other treatments. They conclude that while spontaneous stabilization is possible, it is unlikely to account for all observed cases of stabilization. The authors agree with Holmes and MacDonald that randomized controlled trials with validated assessment tools are needed to confirm treatment efficacy, but in the meantime, a combination of antiandrogens and intralesional steroids seems to be an effective strategy for achieving stabilization in FFA patients.
    Discuss this study in the Community →

    Research cited in this study

    4 / 4 results

    Related Community Posts Join

    6 / 377 results
      Diffuse hair loss and scalp biopsies

      community Diffuse hair loss and scalp biopsies

      in Research  692 upvotes 3 months ago
      Scalp biopsies are crucial for diagnosing hair loss conditions like Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA) and retrograde hair loss, as treatments like finasteride and dutasteride may not be effective if other conditions are present. Combining PPAR-GAMMA agonists with retinoids could improve treatments for conditions like Lichen Planopilaris.

      community Testosterone and hair loss seeming irrelevance

      in Research/Science  81 upvotes 1 year ago
      The conversation is about the role of testosterone in hair loss and the effectiveness of different treatments. The conclusion is that DHT is the main culprit for hair loss, and finasteride has been proven to work long-term in maintaining and regrowing hair. Testosterone may have a minor effect, but it is not the primary cause of hair loss.

      community 9 months on Fin - no progress , should I get on Dutasteride?

      in Chat  10 upvotes 2 weeks ago
      The user has been using finasteride, minoxidil, and nizoral for hair loss but hasn't seen regrowth, only maintenance. They are considering switching to dutasteride, which is believed to be more effective, but are concerned about potential side effects.

      community Diffuse thinning is so brutal.

      in Styling  72 upvotes 1 year ago
      A 25-year-old with AGA experienced hair thinning and dandruff, stabilized with topical finasteride and minoxidil but saw minimal regrowth. They seek advice on styling and consider oral minoxidil and microneedling for denser hair.

      community scarring alopecia awareness in this community

      in Chat  33 upvotes 2 years ago
      Lichen Planopilaris (LPP), a form of permanent hair loss, which can be mistaken for seborrheic dermatitis and is characterized by scalp itching, burning, redness, and dandruff. Treatment options discussed include steroidal creams, finasteride, minoxidil, and RU58841.

    Similar Research

    5 / 1000+ results