Focal atrichia: A diagnostic clue in female pattern hair loss.

Background: Focal atrichia is a common clinical finding in female pattern hair loss, the specificity and histologic findings of which need further clarification.

Objective: To determine the frequency of focal atrichia in various types of hair loss and its histologic characteristics in female pattern hair loss.

Methods: Part 1 of the study was a review of 250 consecutive female patients seen with hair loss for the presence of focal atrichia, and part 2 examined paired biopsy specimens from haired areas versus those from areas with focal atrichia in 18 subjects with female pattern hair loss.

How real is senescent alopecia? A histopathologic approach.

Senescent alopecia was originally thought to affect people aged 50 years or older with no family history or evidence of pattern balding. It was described as a diffuse thinning involving the whole scalp due to a steady decrease in thick terminal hairs, but without evidence of increased miniaturization. Senescent alopecia is not a primary diagnosis in this clinic.