Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia in males

Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA) is a scarring alopecia seen primarily in women of African descent but rarely reported in men. The etiology of CCCA is unknown, but genetic variants, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and bacterial infections may play a role.

We aimed to characterize the demographics, medical histories, and clinical findings of male patients with CCCA with the hypothesis that features may differ from women.

This was a case series of adult male patients with biopsy-confirmed CCCA seen at an academic dermatology department between 2012 and 2022.

In total, 17 males had a scalp biopsy and clinical findings consistent with CCCA. The average age was 43 years, and 88.2% of cases identified as Black race. Scalp pruritus was the most common symptom, and few patients endorsed high-risk hair care practices. None of the cases had diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus, but 17.6% had history of latent tuberculosis, and 47.1% had a positive family history of alopecia. We observed 8 patients with atypical CCCA, and 29.4% had an overlapping scalp diagnosis.

This study is limited by the single center, retrospective design and small sample size.

It is important to consider CCCA in the differential diagnosis of alopecia in adult Black males.