Lipedematous Alopecia in an Asian Woman: Is It an Advanced Stage of Lipedematous Scalp?

Lipedematous alopecia (LA) is a rare disease entity that manifests as increased thickness of subcutaneous fatty tissue in the scalp with a variable degree of acquired, non-scarring alopecia. Although the pathogenesis of alopecia in LA is not clear, it is assumed that the increased thickness of subcu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAnnals of dermatology Vol. 30; no. 6; pp. 701 - 703
Main Authors Hong, Ji Yeon, Li, Kapsok, Hong, Chang Kwun
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Korea (South) The Korean Dermatological Association; The Korean Society for Investigative Dermatology 01.12.2018
대한피부과학회
Subjects
Case Report
피부과학
Lipedematous scalp
Lipomatosis
Alopecia
Lipedematous alopecia
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Summary:Lipedematous alopecia (LA) is a rare disease entity that manifests as increased thickness of subcutaneous fatty tissue in the scalp with a variable degree of acquired, non-scarring alopecia. Although the pathogenesis of alopecia in LA is not clear, it is assumed that the increased thickness of subcutaneous fat retards hair growth by disturbing the peripheral microenvironment of the hair bulb. LA is clinically distinguishable from lipedematous scalp (LS) in that LS is not associated with any hair abnormalities, while LA is characterized by variable degree of hair loss. However, both LA and LS share increased scalp thickness. Here, we describe a rare case of LA on the frontal scalp of an Asian woman, further characterize the clinical and histologic features, and suggest applying an integrated diagnosis as lipedematous diseases of the scalp.
ISSN:1013-9087
2005-3894
DOI:10.5021/ad.2018.30.6.701