Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: To Treat or Not to Treat?

July 2010 in “ Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery ”

Eustathios Rallis, Stamatis Gregoriou, Eleftheria Christofidou, Dimitrios Rigopoulos

Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia finasteride minoxidil systemic corticosteroids topical clobetasol FFA Propecia Rogaine

TLDR Treatments for Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia have not been proven effective.

In the 2010 study involving 18 postmenopausal women diagnosed with Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA), researchers found that no significant improvement was observed in patients after various treatments, including finasteride with minoxidil, systemic corticosteroids, and topical clobetasol. Thirteen of the 18 patients had stable disease, and the study concluded that no treatment has been proven effective for FFA with an appropriate level of evidence. The document also reviewed other treatments and their limited success, noting that often FFA may be stable at diagnosis, which suggests that treatment might not be necessary. However, the natural history of FFA may include spontaneous stabilization, which complicates the assessment of treatment efficacy. The study highlighted the need for future research to define stable disease more clearly and establish appropriate exclusion criteria for clinical studies.

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Research cited in this study

16 / 16 results

research Reassessing Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

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Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia is a slowly progressing hair loss condition, likely underdiagnosed, with ineffective treatments, needing more research to understand it fully.

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research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Assessment

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Early diagnosis of frontal fibrosing alopecia is crucial to prevent permanent hair loss.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia Versus Lichen Planopilaris: A Clinicopathological Study

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The conclusion is that FFA and LPP have similar scalp biopsy features, making them hard to distinguish histologically, and FFA may be a specific kind of scarring hair loss.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: A Survey in 16 Patients

123 citations , August 2005 in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology”

The study found that Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia affects a broader age range of women and early treatment can help stop hair loss.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia Developing After Hair Transplantation for Androgenetic Alopecia

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Hair transplant destroyed by lichen planopilaris.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia in Postmenopausal Women

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Some postmenopausal women with frontal fibrosing alopecia stopped losing hair with finasteride treatment, hinting at a possible hormonal cause.

research Case Reports

6 citations , July 2004 in “JDDG Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft”

Frontal fibrosing alopecia in postmenopausal women can be managed with early treatment using corticosteroids to stop hair loss.

research Postmenopausal Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

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Postmenopausal frontal fibrosing alopecia is a type of hair loss in postmenopausal women that may stop on its own but has no effective treatment.

research Post-Menopausal Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

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The document concludes that post-menopausal frontal fibrosing alopecia is a poorly understood condition that does not respond well to common treatments.

research Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia Associated with Cutaneous Lichen Planus in a Premenopausal Woman

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A premenopausal woman had hair loss and skin issues, treated with topical steroids.

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Accurate diagnosis is key for treating different kinds of hair loss, and immune response variations may affect the condition and treatment results.

research Postmenopausal Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: A Frontal Variant of Lichen Planopilaris

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Frontal fibrosing alopecia is a hair loss condition in postmenopausal women, similar to lichen planopilaris, with ineffective treatments.

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Postmenopausal frontal fibrosing alopecia may be a unique condition linked to postmenopausal changes.

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