P-27   FRONTAL RECESSION IN WOMEN: NO CORRELATION WITH HAIR DENSITY

MP Birch, AG Messenger Department of Dermatology, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK.

Recession of the frontal hair line is a component of androgenetic alopecia in men. Frontal recession also occurs in women. Though it is generally less pronounced than in men the factors responsible are thought to be the same in both sexes. Diffuse thinning of scalp hair has also been ascribed to androgenetic mechanisms in women. In this study we compared objective measurements of scalp hair density and frontal recession in a cohort of women to assess whether there is a relationship between these two features of female hair loss. We examined 341 women, with ages ranging from 17 to 86, attending a dermatology clinic for reasons unrelated to their hair. Two measurements of the head were made from each individual as follows from the centre of the supra-orbital ridge to the point of maximum recession in the fronto-temporal region, and from the centre of the supra-orbital ridge to the occipital tuberosity. The ratio between these measurements was calculated to give a “recession index”. To measure hair density a small area of hair (approximately 1 cm2) was clipped from the vertex and the area was photographed. An acetate sheet was placed over the photographic print, the individual hairs were then dotted on to the sheet and counted. Regression analysis showed a correlation between the recession index and age (r=0.22 p<0.001) but not between the recession index and hair density (r=-0.056). Our results confirm previous observations that the frequency of recession of the fronto-temporal hair line increases with age (Venning & Dawber, J Am Acad Dermatol 18, 1073-7 1988), although we did not find evidence that this trend accelerates after the menopause. There was no correlation between hair density and recession suggesting that these indices have a different aetiology or genetic basis.