Macular Alopecia: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study to Describe an Underrecognized Pattern of Alopecia

April 2025 in “ Pediatric Dermatology ”

Molly Thapar, Jonathan L. Feng, Liyun Zhang, Amy Pan, Kristen E. Holland, Yvonne E. Chiu

macular alopecia alopecia areata non-scarring alopecia parietal scalp

TLDR Macular alopecia is a distinct, non-scarring hair loss pattern that mostly affects young Hispanic/Latinx females and often resolves on its own.

This study identifies and describes a previously unrecognized variant of alopecia, termed "macular alopecia," characterized by small macules < 1 cm in diameter. Conducted as a single-center retrospective cohort study, it included 471 patients, with 74 diagnosed with macular alopecia. This variant showed a predominance in females (77%) and Hispanic/Latinx individuals (62%), with a younger median age of onset at 5.9 years. Macular alopecia primarily affected the parietal scalp and demonstrated a higher rate of spontaneous resolution (63%) within a median of 5 months, compared to patchy alopecia areata (AA), which resolved in 20% of cases over a median of 8 months. The study suggests recognizing macular alopecia as a distinct pattern of non-scarring alopecia.

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