What could this be? Do I have retrograde alopecia? (Photo)

Question

I used to have scalp psoriasis in this area about 5 years ago and at the time, I would scratch it quite a bit which left that pink scar in the photo. My derm at the time injected cortisone shots and that helped. But is there a reason why my hair isn’t growing? Is this retrograde alopecia? Will hair ever grow back in this area again? Will it get worse over time?

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

could be autoimmune or genetic hair loss, needs an evaluation.

You need a formal evaluation to see what type of hair loss you may have. when you have hairless its best to do a full hormonal workup for internal optimization plus scalp biopsies or scrapings to rule out any stress related, inflammatory, autoimmune or infectious causes of hair loss. In general most people with early hair loss have telogen (stress related) and/or androgenetic (normal aging) and both can be treated with in office treatments like steroid injections, PRP/acell, Exosomes and at home treatments like oral medications, oral vitamins like Viviscal, topical exfoliating sprays like Restorsea, and weekly growth factors like anteagemd.  See an expert for an evaluation. If hair loss is significant it may requires hair transplant (follicular unit translation).

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

Retrograde alopecia is often genetic. We look for causes and you are suggesting a few which could include scratching and some impact of traction alopecia in this area.

What could this be? Do I have retrograde alopecia? (Photo)

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What could this be? Do I have retrograde alopecia? (Photo)

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about Hair Loss Treatment

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.