Triangular alopecia is hair loss that may be congenital but usually appears in childhood as a focal patch of loss that may be complete or leaving fine
vellus hair
Vellus hair is short, thin, light-colored, and barely noticeable hair that develops on most of a human’s body during childhood. Exceptions include the lips, the back of the ear, the palm of the hand, the sole of the foot, some external genital ...
s behind.
[Freedberg, et al. (2003). ''Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine''. (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. .] Affected individuals are typically entirely healthy. Hair restoration surgery using follicular unit transplantation has been a successful treatment modality for TTA
Presentation
Association with Other Conditions
TTA has been associated with several disorders, such as
Phakomatosis pigmentovascularis. And a rare syndrome
Setleis syndrome. It is inherited by the autosomal dominant trait and is characterized by
cutis aplasia Cutis may refer to several unrelated biological structures:
* Cutis (anatomy)
Cutis is the combined term for the epidermis and the dermis, the two outer layers of the skin. The subcutis is the layer below the cutis. Sweat pores are contained in t ...
or atrophic skin at the temples, which is said to resemble forceps marks. There may also be a coarse facial appearance, anomalies of the eyelashes and eyebrows, and periorbital puffiness.
Frequency
The suggested frequency for this condition in the general population is around 0.11%. The hair loss is non-progressive and does not expand beyond these areas. It is a non-inflammatory, non-scarring form of hair loss easily confused with
alopecia areata
Alopecia areata, also known as spot baldness, is a condition in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body. Often, it results in a few bald spots on the scalp, each about the size of a coin. Psychological stress and illness are pos ...
. In one report, the condition was incorrectly believed by the parents to be induced by doctors inserting
intravenous cannulas into scalp vessels during the neonatal period. The condition is permanent and the affected skin does not change later in life.
Of the 53 reported cases of TTA, more than half (55.8%) were detected in childhood between the ages of 2 and 9 years, while 36.5% were detected at birth and only 3.8% (only two cases) in adulthood.
[26955-temporal-triangular-alopecia-and-a-review-of-52-past-cases]
See also
*
Alopecia
Hair loss, also known as alopecia or baldness, refers to a loss of hair from part of the head or body. Typically at least the head is involved. The severity of hair loss can vary from a small area to the entire body. Inflammation or scar ...
*
Skin lesion
A skin condition, also known as cutaneous condition, is any medical condition that affects the integumentary system—the organ system that encloses the body and includes skin, nails, and related muscle and glands. The major function of th ...
*
List of cutaneous conditions
References
{{reflist
Conditions of the skin appendages