Cicatricial Alopecia which leads to permanent damage of the stem cells in the hair follicle bulge causes irreversible hair loss and negatively affects self-image and self-esteem of the patient. Cicatricial alopecias are divided into two main groups as ”primary” and “secondary” cicatricial alopecias. Primary cicatricial alopecia consists a diverse group of inflammatory diseases that has an unknown etiology. They lead to permanent loss of both hair shafts and visible follicular ostia and cause pathological replacement of follicular structures with fibrous tissue. The secondary cicatricial alopecias can be caused by almost any cutaneous inflammatory processes of the scalp skin or by physical trauma, which damages the skin and skin appendages.
Current therapeutic regimens aim to slow or inhibit the progression of the disease with local or systemic immunomodulation. First-line treatments are topical steroids, such as fluocinonide, and clobetasol lotion or cream, and intralesional triamcinolone acetonide [4]. Retinoids, hydroxychloroquine, and mycophenolate are commonly used to adjunct corticosteroids and decrease inflammation in rapidly progressive disease. Hair transplants are used by many patients as a treatment option.
What is the best hair transplant method for cicatricial alopecia?
FUE method is gold standard hair transplantation method in cicatricial alopecia.
Which cicatricial alopecia patient is a hair transplant candidate?
If patient’s disease is not active and not causing scarring alopecia, hair transplantation may be done.
Which factors are important for achieving successful hair transplant results in cicatrical alopecia?
Type of cicatricial alopesia, availability of donor hair, scalp laxity, the patient’s healing characteristics, vascular supply, and the location of the subsequent scar are important for good results.
Dr Civas has performed successful hair transplant operations on patients with primary and secondary cicatricial alopecia in hair restoration center in Turkey. As a result of these challenging and specialized operations, high patient satisfaction has been achieved. He also compiled his successful cases as a case series and shared them with the hair transplantation experts.