title: Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia: what has been achieved, current clues for future research.
abstract: Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia is an inflammatory type of central scalp hair loss seen primarily in women of African descent. The prevalence is unknown, but may vary from 2.7% to 5.7% and increases with age. This review outlines the history and current beliefs and identifies clues for future research for this enigmatic condition. Despite that the cause of central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia is unknown, research is ongoing. The role of cytokeratins, androgens, genetics, and various possible sources of chronic inflammation in disease pathogenesis remain to be elucidated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, South Pavilion, 1st Floor, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. Electronic address: Temitayo.ogunleye@uphs.upenn.edu.
authors.forename: Temitayo A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Ogunleye
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Wake Forest Baptist Health, 4618 Country Club Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27104, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McMichael
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Hair Disorders Research and Treatment Center, Duke University Medical Center 3294, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
authors.forename: Elise A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Olsen
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D000506:Alopecia Areata / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012535:Scalp
keywords: Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia; Follicular degeneration syndrome; Hot comb alopecia; Scarring alopecia