Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia (Jul 2014)

Trichostasis spinulosa of the scalp mimicking Alopecia Areata black dots

  • Flavianne Sobral Cardoso Chagas,
  • Aline Donati,
  • Isabella Ibrahim Doche Soares,
  • Neusa Sakai Valente,
  • Ricardo Romiti

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/abd1806-4841.20142407
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 89, no. 4
pp. 685 – 687

Abstract

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Alopecia areata is a common autoimmune disorder that leads to nonscarring hair loss. Black dots, also called comedo-like cadaver hairs, can be found in almost 50% of alopecia areata patients and indicate disease activity. Trichostasis spinulosa is a follicular disorder resulting from the retention of numerous hairs surrounded by a keratinous sheath in dilated follicles. Trichostasis spinulosa is a relatively common but underdiagnosed disorder of hair follicles. Here, we describe a man with alopecia areata of the eyebrows, androgenetic alopecia and trichostasis spinulosa at the vertex and show how dermoscopy can be useful in distinguishing black dots from Trichostasis spinulosa lesions.

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