Clinical and histopathological features of patients with cicatricial marginal alopecia

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and histopathologic characteristics of patients presenting with band-shaped alopecia of the temporal and frontal areas who had no history of traction. Material and Methods: Patients with cicatricial marginal retrospective study were included in this retrospective study. Severity of disease was classified as mild, moderate and severe according to the density of hair and size of lesions. Classification of the alopecia was made as follows: "bitemporal" in patients with involvement of only the temporal areas, "band-like" in patients with involvement of both temporal areas and the frontal area, and "other" in patients which did not fit the previous classifications. Dermoscopic findings were noted. Previous biopsy samples were restained with Masson Trichrome, CD3, CD1a, CD20 and CD68 and re-evaluated. Results: A total of 20 patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 27,68 (15-41) years and the mean disease duration was 2,33 years. The most frequently reported symptoms were moderate-to-severe pruritus and mild pain. The disease was mild in nine, moderate in seven and severe in four patients (45,0%, 35,0% and 20,0%, respectively). The frontal and temporal hairline was intact and had in all patients. Eight patients had a bitemporal, eight had a band-like pattern of disease, whereas the rest were of other patterns. No signs of inflammation, including erythema, pustules, were observed on the lesions. On dermoscopy, decreased hair density, decreased number of follicles and hair shafts with reduced diameters were seen in all patients. Histopathologic findings of the 14 patients who had consented to biopsy were all similar. Decrease in number of hair follicles, perifollicular fibrosis and retention of sebaceous glands were notable findings. Inflammatory cells were very scarce. Conclusion: Cicatricial marginal alopecia is a type of alopecia seen in females which can seriously affect the cosmetic well-being of patients. An intact hairline and lack of inflammation are characteristic properties of the disease. Copyright © 2014 by Türkiye Klinikleri