International Journal of Trichology最新文献

Background: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is caused by the susceptibility of hair follicles to androgenic miniaturization, which leads to hair loss. The most common modalities for the treatment of AGA include the use of topical minoxidil and oral finasteride. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is a newer modality of treatment for AGA. We tried to evaluate the added benefit of LLLT in AGA compared with topical minoxidil 5% alone.

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of LLLT combined with topical 5% minoxidil in AGA versus topical 5% minoxidil used alone.

Materials and methods: After ethics committee approval, 54 patients of AGA were randomly divided into two groups. Group A participants received LLLT therapy twice a week plus topical 5% minoxidil and Group B participants received only minoxidil 5% solution. Both the groups were followed up for 16 weeks and evaluated with gross photographs, TrichoScan analysis, and dermoscopy to look for any improvement in hair density.

Results: After 16 weeks, improvement in hair density of 14.78% ± 10.93% in Group A was recorded compared to 11.43% ± 6.43% in Group B. However, while comparing both means, P value was 0.45 which was not significant. The physician global assessment and patient satisfaction score revealed no significant difference between both the groups.

Conclusion: Although LLLT appears to be safe and effective in the treatment of male pattern hair loss, we did not observe any significant difference in terms of improvement in hair density between both the groups.

Cutaneous pili migrans (CPM) is an uncommon condition in which a hair fragment penetrates the skin and produces a creeping lesion similarly of cutaneous larva migrans associated with local pain. There are few reports of CPM in the literature, and none visually describes the migration of the hair shaft in the epidermis associated with pain. Herein, we showed the first report describing a case of an in situ sequential migration of CPM in an adult patient.

Ichthyosis follicularis with alopecia and photophobia (IFAP) syndrome is a rare congenital genetic disorder characterized clinically by a triad of follicular ichthyosis, alopecia and photophobia. The genetic inheritance pattern in IFAP syndrome is said to be X-linked with mutations of the membrane-bound transcription factor peptidase, site 2 gene. Histopathology of the skin shows dilated hair follicles with keratin plugs extending above the surface of the skin. In this case report, we describe a 6-year-old girl with clinical features of IFAP along with palmoplantar keratoderma. Skin biopsy was done to confirm the diagnosis after which she was started on acitretin (10 mg per day). Good improvement in cutaneous features was observed after 1 month.

With aging, hair graying is a common sign resulting from complex regulation of melanogenesis. Multiple factors control the stimulation of melanogenesis at the level of the hair follicle, including melanin-stimulating hormone (MSH), adrenocorticotropic hormone, endothelin-1, prostaglandins, leukotrienes, neutrophils, fibroblast growth factor, nitric oxide, catecholamines, Vitamins, and minerals. Premature hair graying (PHG) has a major impact on the cosmesis, self-credibility, and social life of the affected individual. Currently, there is no medical treatment available for PHG. We present a case of a 25-year-old female with a history of graying of hair on the scalp. Clinical diagnosis revealed it as a case of premature graying/canities. She was prescribed a topical formulation (Greyverse solution) containing palmitoyl tetrapeptide 20, a biomimetic biopeptide of α-MSH for treating her PHG. The formulation was applied 1 mL twice daily directly on the affected part of the scalp. Hair supplements containing a combination of biotin and calcium pantothenate once daily orally were also prescribed. After 3 months, the patient showed some improvement, and the dose of the topical solution was reduced to 1 mL once daily. After 5 months, the patient achieved >90% conversion of gray hair to black hair.

Hair loss in elderly patients is a common complaint. It can be related to different conditions that affect patients' quality of life and represents a challenge for dermatologists. It affects both men and women during the aging process with an estimated percentage of balding after 65 years of age of 53% and 37%, respectively. Androgenetic alopecia, frontal fibrosing alopecia, senile alopecia, and erosive pustular dermatosis of the scalp are the hair diseases most frequently described in this age group. The objective of this review is to summarize the current knowledge about alopecia affecting elderly patients, differentiating between chronological hair aging signs and pathological changes, to help clinicians, offer an adequate management of these disorders to their patients.

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by peribulbar lymphocytic infiltration, follicular miniaturization, catagen/telogen follicles, and increased follicular stelae (streamers) in skin biopsies.

Objectives: Our aim was to assess the number of follicular stelae of patients with AA and to evaluate their association with clinical type and severity and treatment response of AA.

Materials and methods: Histopathologic features including number of follicular stelae were recorded in skin biopsies taken from lesions of AA in 142 patients who attended our dermatology clinic from 2011 to 2017.

Results: There was a statistically significant correlation between the patient age and the number of follicular stelae (P = 0.001). There was a statistically significant correlation between the severity of disease and the number of follicular stelae (P = 0.005). AA subtypes (0%-25% scalp hair loss) had a significantly lower number of follicular stelae than 75%-100% scalp hair loss and alopecia universalis (7.92 ± 4.21 vs. 13.23 ± 7.28). There was no statistically significant correlation between the treatment response and the number of follicular stelae (P = 0.75).

Conclusion: Our results showed that number of follicular stelae varied among AA clinical types and correlated with severity. This study was the first to evaluate the correlation between the number of follicular stelae and severity of AA.

Acute scalp hair "felting" is a rare acquired condition that presents with sudden severe twisting, entangling, and matting of scalp hair into a stiff tightly packed mass, in otherwise healthy individuals. In such conditions, the mechanism of hair matting is almost like the process of "felting" in wool and textile industry, where adjacent fibers are compacted together in a warm liquid medium. Herein, a case of acute hair "felting" during styling practice is discussed with the possible predisposing factors, prophylaxis, and treatment.