Frontal fibrosing alopecia, clinical and histopathological characteristics of mexican patients: an original research study and review of literature

Abstract

Background: Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA) was described at twenty-century, and cases increased exponentially. FFA has a great impact on patient’s quality life. Objective: Thus, the aim of this work was report FFA cases attended during a fifteen-year period. Material and methods: A retrospective study was carried out, including patients with FFA diagnosis treated at Dermatology department. Data were obtained from the clinical files, and tissue slices were reviewed. Results: Thirty-seven patients FFA were identified. Ninety-seven percent (n= 36) were women, with an average age of 57.8 years (range between 35 to 86 years). Eighty-one percent presented with recession of implantation line as the main clinical manifestation; the predominant histological pattern was scarring alopecia, presented in 34 patients (91.8%). Discussion: Increased of the pathology was observed in the last five years, since 2017. FFA is a newly diagnosed disease with increased prevalence in Mexico, where it occurs predominantly in postmenopausal women. Conclusion: Mexican patients presented in late stages of the disease, with mean ages lower than other series, so in our country the challenge is to identify the FFA in early stage and prevent disease progression and the irreversible alopecia.