Dermatology. 1992;185:82

Psoriatic alopecia: acute and chronic hair loss in 47 patients with scalp psoriasis.Runne U, Kroneisen-Wiersma P.

Hair loss and alopecia were seen in psoriatic lesions of the scalp in 47 patients. snip.. Hair loss varied in intensity from protracted to moderate and massive (36% in tufts)..... Thirteen patients (28%) became aware of the hair loss with the beginning of therapy. Hair loss was found to be circumscribed in 75% of the cases and diffuse in 25%. In 2 cases psoriatic alopecia also manifested itself at sites other than the scalp. The telogen count was found to be increased up to 25-86% in the florid stage. ...snip.. This infiltrate can alter the follicle epithelium and may lead to a granulomatous foreign-body reaction with destruction of the hair follicle. After topical antipsoriatic treatment, most of the reexamined patients showed complete hair regrowth, while 5 developed a residual scarring. Therefore, in the patient with circumscribed or diffuse symptomatic hair loss, with or without scarring, psoriatic alopecia should be considered.