Alopecia is the term used by doctors to refer to hair loss. There are many different kinds of hair loss, but one of them is called frontal fibrosing alopecia. It causes a loss of hair that is permanent by destroying the hair follicles, which are the openings from which hair grows. A disorder known as frontal fibrosing alopecia, or FFA, is characterised by patches of baldness (alopecia) on the front of the scalp and in the area close to the temples. There are several different treatments available for the problem, but none of them can bring back hair that has already been gone.
This disorder can also cause hair loss in other places of the body where there are hair follicles, such as the eyebrows, underarms, and other body parts. Although it is more prevalent in post-menopausal women, the illness can strike both younger and older women and males of either gender. The hair loss condition known as frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) often develops gradually and frequently results in a narrow band of balding skin that extends along the front and sides of the hairline. Some patients experience further hair loss as the condition progresses, including the loss of pubic hair, underarm hair, or hair on their arms or legs. Those who have facial hair can find that they have less hair in the beard region.
Diagnosis of Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia
The pattern of hair loss is used to determine whether or not a patient has FFA. Your doctor may also look for other telltale signs, such as redness around hair follicles, scales surrounding follicles, and minor scarring in the area of hair loss. These can all be indicators of alopecia areata. The pattern of hair loss is frequently referred to as a “lonely hair sign,” which is an allusion to having a single hair in an area where there are none. In order for a dermatologist to be certain of the diagnosis, he or she may need to do a biopsy in order to investigate the hair follicles and the cells that surround them.
At what age does frontal fibrosing alopecia start?
After menopause, women are typically diagnosed with FFA. Loss of hair is experienced by the majority of women between the ages of two and twelve years after the onset of menopause. A diagnosis of frontal fibrosing alopecia can also be made at an earlier age in life. It’s possible that this happens particularly frequently in Black women. The ages of the ladies who participated in a small study on Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia in African-American women ranged anywhere from 28 to 85 years old. When they were diagnosed with Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia, approximately one half of these Black American women had not yet entered menopause.
Causes of Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia
Ongoing study is being conducted to try to determine the precise reason why FFA occurs. It is quite likely that the development of this condition is influenced by both changes in hormone levels and the immune system. The fact that it is most commonly found in women who have passed menopause provides substantial support for the theory that hormones and the balance of hormones are involved in the condition. It is believed that Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia is a subtype of another disease known as lichen planopilaris (LPP), which is an autoimmune condition that results in gradually diminishing hair.
The fact that autoimmunity may possibly play a role is suggested by the fact that the microscopic appearance of Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia is extremely similar to that of LPP. According to the findings of one study conducted in 2012, around one third of patients diagnosed with FFA also suffered from an autoimmune condition. The flow of Free for All can be unpredictable and aggravating at times. It is often a disorder that moves slowly from stage to stage, with some people enduring continuous hair loss while others only experience it for shorter and shorter periods of time. Because FFA is a kind of alopecia that causes scarring, hair follicles that are lost do not regrow after they are gone.
How fast does frontal fibrosing alopecia progress?
The frontal fibrosing alopecia tends to progress quite gradually. The first sign of follicular folliculitis alopecia that most people notice is a noticeable loss of eyebrow hair. Eighty to ninety-five percent of women who have been diagnosed with FFA have experienced the loss of some or all of their eyebrow hair. It is also possible for frontal fibrosing alopecia to cause sudden hair loss as opposed to thinning hair that occurs gradually over time. Some people, rather than experiencing a gradual receding hairline, have patches of hair loss instead.
How long does frontal fibrosing last?
In the absence of medical therapy, frontal fibrosing alopecia frequently results in permanent hair loss that spreads across an increasingly large area with the passage of time. This gradually thinning hairline, which was originally difficult to detect, can eventually develop into a bald band that extends to the middle of the head or even further back. After a certain number of years, FFA can really stop occurring in some people. On the other hand, it is not possible to predict which patients will have this experience. Treatment is recommended by dermatologists because of this reason.
Treatment of Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia
There is not a single treatment that is universally accepted for FFA. There has been some success with the use of powerful steroids, which can be injected into the scalp or given topically to the scalp. Others, meantime, have chosen to treat their male pattern baldness with oral drugs such as finasteride or dutasteride, the latter of which is not authorised for use in the treatment of male pattern baldness in the United States.
They are both effective at lowering levels of the hormone known as dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is responsible for the reduction in the size of hair follicles. In addition, it is possible to make use of particular antibiotics, such as doxycycline and minocycline. Although the frontal fibrosing alopecia condition itself is not brought on by an infection, the usage of these medications may be helpful in lowering the inflammation that is associated with it.
Hydroxychloroquine, which is used for a variety of conditions ranging from lupus to rheumatoid arthritis, has also demonstrated some encouraging results. In most cases, many treatments are necessary in order to achieve the desired level of efficacy. Although therapies such as these have been shown to stop or delay the trend of hair loss, there is currently no medicine on the market that can reverse the problem completely. As a result, early management is still regarded as the most effective method to lessen the demoralising effects of frontal fibrosing alopecia.
Can frontal fibrosing alopecia be reversed?
If the frontal fibrosing alopecia is diagnosed and treated in its early stages, there is a chance of hair regrowth. The hair follicles, which are the holes from which hair grows, become scarred over as frontal fibrosing alopecia proceeds. Scarring prevents a hair follicle from ever producing new hair again after it has already done so. As a result of this, the American Academy of Dermatology suggests consulting a dermatologist who is board-certified as soon as possible when you notice the beginning stages of hair loss.
Maybe you‘re interested: Best Hair Transplant Clinics and Surgeons in Cleveland