Does sunscreen cause Frontal Fibrosing alopecia?

Question

Does sunscreen cause Frontal Fibrosing alopecia? If so, is it chemical based or mineral based that can be a associated with FFA? Is FFA hormonal based since Dutasteride/Finasteride seem to be one of the gold standards of treatment. I know it's mostly in women, but can males get it if they use sunscreen? Thank you

Matt Tahsini, MD · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question.  There is no evidence that sunscreen causes FFA. Most people who use sunscreen never develop FFA.

Dr. T

Jeff Donovan, MD, PhD · Answer

The role of sunscreen is not clear and falling a bit out of favor as a leading theory. 99.98 % of people who use sunscreens will never develop FFA. As far as hormones, yes it’s a complex autoimmune condition with contributions from genetics and hormones and autoimmunity and the environment. Men can get FFA if they don’t use sunscreen ever in their life. In summary the role of sunscreen is still not clear.. Most people who use sunscreens will never develop FFA so it’s not so direct of a contributor.

Steven C. Chang, MD · Answer

Thank you very much for the excellent question. A recent cross-sectional study in 2022 found that FFA is not triggered by sunscreen use. But rather, patients with FFA were found to have higher levels of actinic damage, possibly explaining their increase use of sunscreens. So, in other words, people with FFA tend to use more sunscreen but the increase in sunscreen use does not appear to be the cause of their FFA. I hope that helps.

Does sunscreen cause Frontal Fibrosing alopecia?

Answers (3)

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