Piebaldism: rare but all dermatologists have heard this strange term during residency
- This term comes from 2 Greek words :
- λευκóς= leukos = white
- θρίξ = trix = hair
- The term is less and less used nowadays. It is not found in recent dermatological textbooks.
- Leukotrichia means having white hair.
- Nevertheless, it does NOT give any precision whether this white hair is pathological or normal (a sign of aging).
- Also, it doesn’t specify if white hairs appeared as a sign of premature aging or if the white hair appeared fast
- In a medical dictionary, leukotrichia refers to the presence of white hair at birth (congenital). If this were the case, it would be a case of albinism.
- Vitiligo can be a cause of localized leukotrichia – it is indeed rare it extends to all the hair.
- Leukotrichia can also be observed in alopecia areata:
- Either the hair is growing back and appears then as white
- Or an individual with hair greying quickly loses pigmented hairs and the white hair remains sometimes appearing in the form of a white forelock
Contributors
Dr Christophe Hsu – dermatologist. Geneva, Switzerland
Source of information: Harms M. Dermatologica Helvetica (The Swiss Journal of Dermatology and Venereology)
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