ABSTRACT
Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is a primary lymphocytic cicatricial alopecia with a distinctive clinical pattern of progressive frontotemporal hairline recession and eyebrow loss. First described by Kossard in 1994, it was thought to be a variant of lichen planopilaris. Although most patients with the FFA are postmenopausal women ranging between 55 and 70 years of age, the condition has been observed in premenopausal women and rarely men. The pathogenesis of FFA includes a genetic component, as evidenced by frequent familial segregation. FFA is characterized clinically by slowly progressive band-like recession of the frontotemporal and parietal hairline. This cicatricial hairline transitions into actinically damaged skin of the forehead. Clinical features of FFA are generally very suggestive, but trichoscopy is a valid aid in doubtful cases/limited disease, or when the eyebrows are the sole localization of the disease. FFA seems to be associated with autoimmune disorders.
