Case Reports : Congenital Lipedematous Alopecia: Adding to the Differential Diagnosis of Congenital Alopecia

Lipedematous alopecia is a rare condition of unknown etiologycharacterized by a thick boggy scalp with varying degreesof hair loss. It is usually seen in adult African-Americanfemales, and a case in a 9-year-old was the youngest patientreported thus far. We report on the appearance of this conditionin two children, a 6-year-old child and a 10-year-oldchild. Each presented with congenital patchy hair loss on theoccipital area and the left temple. A boggy hairless scalp withsoft swelling was detected in both patients. Histological examinationshowed increased thickness of the subcutaneousfat tissue with a decrease in hair follicles. These features wereconsistent with a diagnosis of lipedematous alopecia. We reporttwo cases of congenital lipedematous alopecia, whichhas not been reported previously. Although congenital,these distinct clinical features should be kept in mind in thediagnosis of alopecic hair loss. (Ann Dermatol 27(1) 87∼89, 2015)