What is Cicatricial Alopecia?
Thursday, 05 February 2009 02:14
Cicatricial Alopecia is defined as hair loss associated with damage to the hair follicles that leads to scar tissue and permanent baldness. You can be affected by a variety of medical conditions that can cause injury and destruction of hair follicles. Some of these conditions may be associated with symptoms such as itching or irritation or soreness, but with others you can lose hair and develop scarring without knowing that it is going on. Sometimes you will have a bald spot or area of hair loss detected by your hair stylist without your knowing that it was there. This condition has become more common over the past 10-15 years especially related to more frequent practices of using hair extensions and bonding glues on the scalp. There are three main contributing factors to cicatricial alopecia (or scarring alopecia) which cause female baldness.
Causes of Cicatricial Alopecia Trauma, infection and various skin diseases may injure the hair follicle resulting in localised areas of scarring and bald patches in which there are no visible follicles; this is called ‘cicatricial alopecia’. Trauma: Hair can be pulled out by tight curlers or certain hair styles, especially black women’s hair styles, sometimes resulting in permanently thinned areas (traction alopecia). The scalp can also be injured by heat (hair dryers), or chemicals (perming solutions or bleach or glues or dyes). Infections that may cause cicatricial alopecia include Staphylococcal folliculitis or boils , and animal ringworm infection ( tinea capitis ). Skin diseases that may cause cicatricial alopecia include: central centrifigual scarring alopecia (CCSA), folliculitis decalvans , lichen planopilaris , frontal fibrosing alopecia , alopecia mucinosa , discoid lupus erythematosus , sarcoidosis, cicatricial pemphigoid, alopecia neoplastica, and scleroderma . Scarring hair loss of unknown cause is known as pseudopelade. The Cicatricial Alopecia Research Foundation (www.CARFintl.com) is an organization that has been created to help support research and find a cure for this problematic condition. Visit their website for additional information.
Cicatricial Alopecia Photos
Early Cicatricial Alopecia Scarring is just beginning and hair growth is beginning to get thinner.
