Synonyms
Cicatricial alopecia; Follicular lichen planus
Definition
Cicatricial or scarring alopecia includes rare disorders that permanently destroy the hair follicle and replace it by scar tissue and cause permanent hair loss. Lichen planopilaris is a primary lymphocytic scarring alopecia, whereas in secondary scarring alopecia, alopecia is a feature of systemic disease as in discoid lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, and dermatomyositis.
Introduction
Lichen planopilaris (LPP) is a variant of lichen planus selectively involving hair follicles with a lymphocytic inflammatory process that eventually destroys the pilosebaceous unit permanently resulting in scarring alopecia. LPP is the most common cause of adult primary scarring alopecia. Frontal fibrosing alopecia and Lasseur-Graham-Little-Piccardi syndrome are considered variants of LPP.
Pathophysiology
Pathogenesis of LPP is poorly understood. The reaction is mediated by T lymphocytes (CD4 and CD8) activated by Langerhans cells that...
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Banka, N., Shapiro, J. (2014). Lichen Planopilaris. In: Mackay, I.R., Rose, N.R., Diamond, B., Davidson, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-84828-0_546
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-84828-0_546
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