Sebaceous activity in the aetiology of frontal fibrosing alopecia, 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Sebaceous activity in the aetiology of frontal fibrosing alopecia.
IRAS ID
142861
Contact name
Sophie Gaikward
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 12 days
Research summary
Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is an increasingly common form of scarring alopecia that mainly affects postmenopausal women. In a recent questionnaire study we found an increased use of facial cosmetics in women with FFA compared to an age and sex-matched control group. We hypothesise that cosmetic ingredients introduced within the last 20-30 years enter the upper part of the hair follicle and initiate an inflammatory reaction that ultimately results in destruction of the hair follicle. In this study we intend investigating the possibility that the susceptibility to FFA is affected by grease (sebum) excretion. We suggest that sebum excretion has a flushing role in removing substances from the hair duct and that low grease excretion is a risk factor for the development of FFA. Previous studies have shown that grease excretion declines following the menopause in women, whereas it does not fall until after the age of 70 in men. This may explain why FFA is much more common in postmenopausal women than in younger women and men. We propose measuring grease excretion across a wide age range of men and women to establish a normal range. We will then measure grease excretion in women and men with FFA.
If our hypothesis is correct we predict that people with FFA will have lower grease excretion rates than age-matched controls. In a small sample of postmenopausal women with FFA we have found very low grease excretion rates but have not yet established whether this is also true in younger patients with FFA or in unaffected women.REC name
South West - Frenchay Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/SW/0116
Date of REC Opinion
11 Jul 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion