Scarring Alopecia

This category of hair loss is considered to be an aggressive form of hair loss. In most cases due to persisting disease activity, the follicles tend to get damaged permanently thereby making it tough to treat later on.

Common recognisable signs for patients:

1) Redness
2) Too much itching
3) Scaling in the area of hair loss
4) Patches of smooth shiny skin on the scalp
5) Bumpiness and altered texture on the scalp
6) Significant Bald areas
7) Pus discharge

These might be alarming signs for the patients and should be identified early. Visit a doctor/trichologist for an early opinion and management as this might lead to permanent hair loss.

Common variants of scarring alopecia are as follows

Discoid lupus erythematosus(DLE)
Lichenplanopilaris
Frontal fibrosing alopecia
Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia
Pseudopelade of brocq
Alopecia mucinosa
Folliculitis decalvans
Dissecting folliculitis
Acne keloidalis

Get Answers Here

1) Is scarring alopecia a medical emergency?

Yes. Delay in medical treatment by few months may lead to permanent scarring of hair follicles and may not be recoverable by any form of medical treatment.

2) Is scalp biopsy useful?

In many instances, scalp biopsy have been found to be very useful in diagnosing and differentiating various scarring and non-scarring alopecia , hence deciding the line of treatment.

3) Is medical treatment useful?

Yes. In early phases of the disease, medicines help to control the disease activity. So an early consultation with the doctor/ trichologist is helpful..

4) Will my hair grow back?

If treated early, the hair regrows and there is no permanent damage. But in longstanding cases where no treatment has been taken or the response is not good to therapy ,the hair might not grow completely.

5) I have long standing scarring alopecia, can i undergo hair transplant over it?

Yes. The disease should be stable for atleast an year, not expanding with minimal activity . The area should be throughly assessed by the hair transplant surgeon explaining the outcomes and expectations by the surgery.

6) Any food habits which help?

No.

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