Kinking hair, or acquired progressive kinking of hair, is a
skin condition
A skin condition, also known as cutaneous condition, is any medical condition that affects the integumentary system—the organ system that encloses the body and includes skin, nails, and related muscle and glands. The major function of this ...
primarily reposted in postpubescent males with
androgenetic alopecia
In botany, apomixis is asexual development of seed or embryo without fertilization. However, other definitions include replacement of the seed by a plantlet or replacement of the flower by bulbils.
Apomictically produced offspring are genetic ...
, presenting with gradual curling and darkening of the frontal, temporal,
auricular, and vertex hairs which, under the
microscope
A microscope () is a laboratory equipment, laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic ...
, show kinks and twists with or without longitudinal grooving.
[Freedberg, et al. (2003). ''Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine''. (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. .][James, William; Berger, Timothy; Elston, Dirk (2005). ''Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology''. (10th ed.). Saunders. .]
Signs and symptoms
Kinking hair is characterized by acquired curling of the hair. The hair might appear frizzy or lusterless. Increased hair shedding is usually the most problematic symptom.
Causes
The cause of hair kinking remains a mystery.
It has been suggested as a potential mechanism that hair kinking is a hair cycle disease associated with dysregulation in the
inner root sheath
The inner root sheath or internal root sheath of the hair follicle is located between the outer root sheath and the hair shaft.James, William; Berger, Timothy; Elston, Dirk (2005) ''Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology'' (10th ed.) ...
of the
hair bulb and the shortening of anagen hairs.
Diagnosis
The diagnostic criteria for kinking hair is as follows:
# an acquired, bounded patch of woolly, dull hair in the frontal, temporal, or parietal regions that is not associated with prior trauma. Hair that is twisted, tortuous, and uneven, with the initial twist showing 2-4 cm after the hair emerges.
# A periodic decline in the diameter of the hair shaft, observed under optical
microscopy
Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view subjects too small to be seen with the naked eye (objects that are not within the resolution range of the normal eye). There are three well-known branches of microscopy: optical mic ...
, with flattened and expanded sections alternating.
# A spindle-shaped widening with sporadic fractures, a partial twisting of the hair on its longitudinal axis with a 180-degree rotation, and an increased number of cuticular cells per diameter in the twisted sections were observed using scanning
electron microscopy
An electron microscope is a microscope that uses a beam of electrons as a source of illumination. It uses electron optics that are analogous to the glass lenses of an optical light microscope to control the electron beam, for instance focusing i ...
.
See also
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List of cutaneous conditions
Many skin conditions affect the human integumentary system—the organ system covering the entire surface of the Human body, body and composed of Human skin, skin, hair, Nail (anatomy), nails, and related muscle and glands. The major function o ...
References
Further reading
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External links
VisualDxHair Transplant Turkey
Conditions of the skin appendages
Human hair
Hair diseases
{{Disorders of skin appendages