Most people have heard of alopecia as a cause of hair loss, and some may even know the three main varieties. These are alopecia areata (patchy loss of hair), alopecia totalis (complete loss of hair on the head) and alopecia universalis (complete loss of hair all over the body).
As with all medical conditions in humans, however, there are many more varieties of alopecia, although occurrences of them tend to be quite rare.
One such variety is alopecia mucinosa, a cutaneous condition (meaning that it affects hair, skin and nails) which can cause hair loss. Also known as ‘Pinkus’ follicular mucinosis, the condition causes symptoms such as reddened papules, lesions and flat bald patches to form on the scalp, face and neck.
It is the abnormal accumulation of mucin, a normal substance, in the cells of hair follicles.
What causes alopecia mucinosa?
The exact causes of the condition are not known, although it is often linked to problems with the immune system. Alopecia mucinosa is also associated with systemic diseases and lymphoma.
Treatment of the condition
The generally prescribed treatments for alopecia mucinosa include topical corticosteroids (applied to the skin), oral antibiotics and topical and systemic photochemotherapy (PUVA).