Patterned Trichoteiromania in Androgenetic Alopecia

Abstract

Trichotillomania is the most frequent reported cause of self-inflicted hair disorders, within which are included trichoteiromania, trichotemnomania, and trichocryptomania, also known as trichorrexomania. These conditions are commonly described in the context of psychiatric disorders. Nevertheless, there exists reports in otherwise healthy patients that suffer a form of no cicatricial alopecia, such as alopecia areata. We communicate 3 cases of male androgenetic alopecia with patterned miniaturization that coexisted with trichoscopic findings of trichoteiromania. The presence of brush-like ends or broom hairs is a highly suggestive feature of this entity. To the best of our knowledge, this association was not previously reported in the medical literature. The possibility of self-induced hair loss should be kept in mind during every follow-up visit in all types of alopecia, remembering that hair loss itself is already a distressing condition.