Inflammatory scalp diseases are one of the most common causes of scarring alopecia.
Inflammatory scalp diseases include:
- Seborrheic dermatitis, the most common symptoms of which are dandruff, and the development of redness or yellowish, oily crusts.
- Psoriasis of the scalp, which is an irritation of the scalp causing severe itching and, in the most severe cases, scalp damage.
- Polar plane lichen, which is characterized by hair loss and scarring of the scalp.
- Fibrotic frontal alopecia, a specific form of polar plane lichen that primarily affects women after menopause.
- Discoid lupus erythematosus, which results in red, rough patches on the skull.
Left untreated, hair follicles will eventually be irreparably destroyed by the inflammation. In this case, scarring alopecia will appear on the patient’s scalp.
