Increased scalp skin and serum 5 alpha-reductase reduced androgens in a man relevant to the acquired progressive kinky hair disorder and developing androgenetic alopecia.

BACKGROUND: The acquired progressive kinking of scalp hair is a disorder in which affected hairs resemble secondary sexual hairs. Some authors have evoked an androgen-related disorder that heralds the onset of androgenetic alopecia. To verify this hypothesis, we focused our attention on a 23-year-old man who has this unusual disorder, which is progressing toward androgenetic alopecia. Patient's circulating 5 alpha-reductase reduced androgen levels; scalp skin 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone formation; and trichography, histological, scanning, and polarizing electron microscopy analyses were compared in normal and affected scalp skin areas. OBSERVATIONS: Results of histological and scalp skin 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone formation analyses and comparison of growth pattern of kinky hair in the affected areas with that of healthy hair were similar to those found in androgenetic alopecia.
CONCLUSIONS: No data are available to confirm the presence of a sole entity, even if our arguments support our hypothesis. The confirmation of this tendency warrants further investigation.