A Solitary Triangular Alopecia

April 2023 in “ The Medical Journal of Australia ”

Tim Aung

congenital triangular alopecia CTA alopecia areata dermoscopic examination vellus hairs terminal hairs hair transplant surgical excision bald patch

From the encyclopedia

Alopecia Areata →

autoimmune disorder causing patchy hair loss

Hair Transplant →

Hair transplantation moves DHT-resistant follicles from a donor area (back and sides of the scalp) into thinning or bald areas. The transplanted hair is generally permanent, though surrounding native hair can keep thinning.

Studysummary In this case report, a five-year-old girl with a bald patch was diagnosed with congenital triangular alopecia, a localized non-scarring condition that typically remains unchanged and lacks effective treatment. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

A five-year-old girl presented with a solitary smooth and shiny bald patch on the left frontotemporal scalp, identified as congenital triangular alopecia (CTA), a non-scarring and non-progressive condition. Dermoscopic examination confirmed the diagnosis by showing normal follicular openings with vellus hairs centrally and terminal hairs at the periphery, without features indicative of alopecia areata. CTA typically remains unchanged throughout life and can resemble other forms of alopecia. There is no effective treatment, but surgical excision or hair transplant may be options for small areas.

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Research cited in this study

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research Use of Dermoscopy in the Diagnosis of Temporal Triangular Alopecia

15 citations , February 2015 in “Anais brasileiros de dermatologia/Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia”

This article reviews the use of dermoscopy in distinguishing temporal triangular alopecia from alopecia areata, emphasizing its role in avoiding invasive diagnostics and ineffective treatments; it reports no new clinical findings.