J Korean Soc Aesthetic Plast Surg.  1999 Sep;5(2):273-280.

THE COMPARATIVE HISTOPATHOLOGIC STUDY BETWEEN THE FRONTAL PROGRESSIVE BALDNESS AREA AND THE OCCIPITAL NON-BALDNESS AREA IN KOREAN MALE PATTERN BALDNESS

• Nam SB
• Jeon JY
• Hwang SM
• Bae YC
• Oh CG

Abstract

Hair takes a great role in featuring man's appearance and absence of hair can causes troubles in physical and psychological aspects. Many efforts have been made to treat male pattern baldness, including medical therapy and surgical correction, but there is not a definite and eternal method of treatment. Even though the diagnosis of male pattern baldness can be made with its characteristic clinical manifestations, histopathological study must be done for definite diagnosis. Author obtained biopsy material from the frontal progressive baldness area and the occipital non-baldness area with punch biopsy in 20 patients who were diagnosed to be Type II and III male pattern baldness according to the Norwood classification. A comparative study was done in the basis of histopathology using serial vertical section of the biopsy materia with the aid of light microscope and the results are as follows : 1. The average number of total hair in the frontal area was on third than that of occipital area and the number of anagen hair was less in the frontal area. The number of telogen hair in the frontal area was seven times more than that of occipital area. 2. The thickness of epidermis and dermis in the frontal area was thinner than that of occipital area. 3. The infiltration of inflammatory cells in the periadnexal field like blood vessels, hair follicles, sebaceous glands, eccrine glands was more prominent in the frontal area than in the occipatal area. 4. Perifollicular fibrosis and hypertrophy of arrector pilli muscle were more remarkable in the frontal area compared with that of occipital area. 5. There was no difference between the frontal and occipiral area in the number of lobules of sebaceous glands.

MeSH Terms

Alopecia*
Biopsy
Blood Vessels
Classification
Dermis
Diagnosis
Eccrine Glands
Epidermis
Fibrosis
Hair
Hair Follicle
Humans
Hypertrophy
Male*
Sebaceous Glands