UNASSIGNED: Cicatricial alopecia (CA) poses a challenge for dermatologists due to irreversible hair follicle damage. While pharmacological treatments offer limited efficacy, surgical interventions aim to improve aesthetic outcomes. This article explores the serial excision technique (SET) as a viable option for stable cases of inflammatory CA.
UNASSIGNED: Three adult females with different forms of CA underwent staged surgeries to correct CA patches. Procedures included different incision and closure methods based on individual characteristics such as age, type and extent of alopecia, location, and tissue mobility in the scarred area.
UNASSIGNED: CA significantly impacts patients\' quality of life, demanding comprehensive treatment approaches. SET emerges as an encouraging possibility for stable cases, providing notable cosmetic improvements and enhancing patients\' well-being. This technique offers cost-effective benefits with potential standalone efficacy or in combination with hair transplantation, providing promising outcomes for individuals with CA.

Lichen planopilaris (LPP) restricted to the face is extremely rare. This case series includes five unique LPP cases that presented with a varied degree of pigmentation and scarring alopecia restricted to the face. We herein describe the clinical characteristics, dermoscopy, and treatment of these histopathologically confirmed facial LPP cases. None of them had lesions anywhere else on the body.

Proteomic profiling on other primary cicatricial alopecias, such as frontal fibrosing alopecia and lichen planopilaris, have suggested a T helper 1-mediated inflammatory pathway, but in central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), the protein expression patterns are unknown. In this study, we sought to characterize protein expression patterns in CCCA to identify biomarkers of disease activity that will identify potential therapeutic avenues for treatment. Scalp protein quantification was performed to understand protein expression patterns in affected versus unaffected scalps in CCCA. A total of 5444 proteins were identified, of which 148 proteins were found to be differentially expressed in CCCA-affected scalp, with upregulation of adaptive immune pathways (IGHG3, P = .034; IGHG4, P = .01; IGG1, P = .026) and markers of fibrosis (ITGA1, P = .016; SFRP2, P = .045; TPM2, P = .029; SLMAP, P = .016) and downregulation of metabolic proteins (ALOX15B, P = .003; FADS2, P = .006; ELOVL5, P = .007; FA2H, P = .017; FAR2, P = .011; SC5D, P < .001). Our analysis revealed, to our knowledge, previously unknown humoral immune canonical pathways, notably IgG, implicated in CCCA and additionally confirmed aberrant lipid metabolism pathways implicated in diabetes mellitus, suggesting unique mechanisms of disease in patients with CCCA.

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UNASSIGNED: Mast cells (MCs) have recently been implicated in lymphocytic scarring alopecias, which may share a common pathogenesis. MCs in central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA) have not been studied.
UNASSIGNED: We looked for the presence of MCs in CCCA using 2 different stains to see if their numbers correlated with the number of hair follicles, the degree of inflammation and perifollicular fibrosis, disease duration and severity, and patient symptoms.
UNASSIGNED: We performed a retrospective review of biopsies of patients diagnosed with CCCA, tabulated MC counts and correlated them with histopathologic and clinical findings.
UNASSIGNED: MC counts were significantly greater using immunoperoxidase staining with CD117 than Giemsa stain, and more were present when the isthmus level was included with the infundibulum. MC counts with CD117 immunostain significantly correlated with the degree of inflammation. MC counts with both stains were significantly associated with the degree of fibrosis independently and after controlling for other factors.
UNASSIGNED: The study was limited by insufficient tissue remaining in a small number of the transversely cut blocks.
UNASSIGNED: Our findings may have therapeutic implications for CCCA and other types of lymphocytic scarring alopecia.

UNASSIGNED: Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is an important cause of scarring alopecia seen mostly in post-menopausal women but sometimes in pre-menopausal women and men. Although considered a variant of lichen planopilaris due to its histopathological characteristics, it has distinct clinical features and associations, which make it a unique entity. We hereby report a series of patients with FFA from North-East India.
UNASSIGNED: This study aimed to analyse the clinical and histopathological characteristics of FFA.
UNASSIGNED: We retrospectively analysed clinical records and histopathological features of FFA cases diagnosed in the Dermatology Outpatient Department from April 2013 to February 2023.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 21 patients, who were diagnosed with FFA from April 2013 to February 2023, were analysed. Of these, 19 patients were female, with a male-to-female ratio of 9.5:1. The mean age of study population was 48.33 years. The majority of the patients were from the post-menopausal age group (15/19 females, 78.94%). Lichen planus pigmentosus (6, 28.57%) was the most commonly associated disease, followed by androgenetic alopecia and lichen planopilaris (2 each, 9.52%). The main histological features noted were perifollicular lymphocytic infiltrate in 18 (85.71%), followed by hydropic degeneration of basal follicular keratinocytes in 15 (71.42%) and melanin incontinence in 14 (66.66%) patients.
UNASSIGNED: Our study is the first study from North-East India focusing on the clinical presentation and histopathological characteristics of FFA. Furthermore, with respect to the recent development in FFA, our study attempted to determine the clinical significance of the proposed criteria for the diagnosis of FFA patients by Tolkachjov et al. (2018), viz. International FFA Cooperative Group Criteria (2021).

UNASSIGNED: Lichen planopilaris (LPP) is an autoimmune disorder leading to lymphocytic cicatricial alopecia. Different agents such as hydroxychloroquine, methotrexate, cyclosporine, and mycophenolate mofetil have been tried to control hair loss with limited efficacy. JAK inhibitors are immune-modulating drugs which interfere with the JAK-STAT signaling pathway in lymphocytes and are used in treatment of inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and alopecia areata.
UNASSIGNED: Our aim was to determine effectiveness of JAK inhibitors in LPP and its clinical variant, frontal fibrosing alopecia. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane databases. A total of 7 articles describing 35 patients were found. Although data on treatment are limited to retrospective studies and case reports, JAK inhibitors can be considered a new therapeutic option, especially in recalcitrant cases. Large prospective studies and randomized control trials are needed to provide further evidence supporting efficacy.
UNASSIGNED: Besides the fact that data on the treatment of LPP and FFA with JAK inhibitors are limited to retrospective studies and case reports, but JAK inhibitors can be considered as a new therapeutic option especially in recalcitrant cases.
Lichen planopilaris (LPP) is a condition where the immune system attacks hair follicles, causing permanent hair loss. Doctors have tried different medications to control the hair loss, but with limited success. JAK inhibitors are drugs that can affect the immune system and are used to treat conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and alopecia areata. We wanted to find out if JAK inhibitors could help with LPP. We looked at research articles in medical databases and found 7 articles that talked about 35 patients. Although the information on treatment is limited to studies that looked back at past cases and individual reports, JAK inhibitors could be a new option for treatment, especially when other treatments have not worked. We need more studies with larger groups of people to get more evidence on how well JAK inhibitors work for LPP.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer therapies. Their mechanism promotes a cytotoxic T-cell activation against the tumor cells, but as a consequence, immune-mediated toxicities are increasingly being identified. Cutaneous immune-mediated adverse events (AE) occur in 32% of patients, with possible higher grade AEs seen with anti-programmed cell death protein 1, such as nivolumab. A 67-year-old woman with metastatic melanoma, previously treated for 2 years on dual ICI (ipilimumab and nivolumab), had her treatment interrupted due to grade-3 hepatitis. She was subsequently recommenced on single-agent nivolumab with good response, before discontinuation due to remission. She reported worsening scalp pruritus with associated erythema, scaling, and global hair thinning. On examination, she had significant erythema throughout the scalp with perifollicular scaling and evidence of scarring. She reported severe distress from her symptoms. Her scalp biopsy demonstrated features of scarring alopecia with infundibular and isthmic inflammation and interface change in keeping with lichen planopilaris. Follicular toxicities are rarely reported, possibly due to imprecise AE phenotyping or underreporting. However, growing evidence suggests that patients can develop follicular pigmentary changes and nonscarring alopecia. To our knowledge, this is the first case of scarring alopecia reported with nivolumab. Current treatments for ICI-induced toxicities are limited.

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UNASSIGNED: Small observational studies suggest subclinical disease occurrence in the normal-appearing scalp zones of several primary cicatricial alopecias. To aid patient management, we began routinely evaluating the entire scalp of patients with acne keloidalis nuchae (AKN), including trichoscopy-guided biopsies.
UNASSIGNED: This retrospective study evaluated 41 patients sequentially presenting with AKN at a single clinic between June and December 2022. Primary lesions and normal-appearing scalp in the superior parietal scalp at least 5 cm away from AKN-affected zones were clinically evaluated, and areas showing perifollicular erythema or scales/casts on trichoscopy were biopsied and histologically analyzed.
UNASSIGNED: Forty-one men with AKN, including 20 men of African descent, 17 Hispanic, and 4 European-descended Whites, were evaluated. All patients, including 22% with associated folliculitis decalvans, showed scalp-wide trichoscopy signs of perifollicular erythema or scaling in normal-appearing scalp areas. All patients showed histologic evidence of perifollicular infundibulo-isthmic lymphocytoplasmic infiltrates and fibrosis (PIILIF), with 96% showing Vellus or miniaturized hair absence. PIILIF was often clinically mistaken for seborrheic dermatitis (44-51%). All White patients had mild papular acne keloidalis nuchae lesions mistaken for seborrheic dermatitis.
UNASSIGNED: PIILIF may be a precursor to a wide spectrum of primary cicatricial alopecias, including AKN and folliculitis decalvans. This finding carries implications for the early diagnosis and management of AKN and other primary cicatricial alopecias.
Acne keloidalis nuchae (AKN) is a type of hair loss and scalp condition marked by scarring and inflammation. This condition falls under a group of chronic hair and scalp issues known as primary cicatricial alopecia (PCA). Current treatments for AKN and similar PCAs often do not work well, and the condition tends to return. We have found a hidden scalp condition that could be causing AKN and other PCAs. It’s a subtle disease that affects the entire scalp, even though it might not show noticeable symptoms. We have observed this condition in all 41 AKN patients in our study, and it’s characterized by certain changes in the hair and scalp’s structure and immune system response. Other studies have linked this condition to various other PCAs. We believe this hidden condition could be causing AKN and making it come back after treatment. This study suggests that treating AKN might require a broader approach beyond just treating the visible symptoms. Since this hidden condition exists in other PCAs, it might be a common cause.