Determinants of Occipital Involvement in Males and Females with Pattern Hair Loss: A Retrospective Study

Background: Pattern hair loss (PHL) is the most common form of hair loss affecting both men and women. The occipital region, located at the back of the scalp, has been considered resistant to hair loss in PHL. It is often used as a donor site for hair transplantation procedures. However, evidence suggests that the occipital region may also be affected by PHL, although to a lesser extent compared to the frontal and vertex regions. Objective: To assess the levels and determinants of occipital involvement in PHL, focusing on gender and disease severity. Such data would enhance the comprehensive understanding of PHL progression and inform development of improved treatment strategies. Methods: This retrospective study involved 1993 adults (1000 males, 993 females) following for PHL at a specialized hair clinic in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Any patient who had hair transplantation in the past and any male who had balding areas (Hamilton-Norwood scales 4 to 7) at the initial consultation was excluded. The primary outcome was occipital involvement, defined as >10% thin hairs in the trichometry assessments of the occipital region. Additional data included patients age, treatment status, disease severity, and other trichometry parameters. Results: The prevalence of occipital involvement was found to be 23.8% overall, significantly more frequent in females (35.6%) than males with early PHL (Hamilton-Norwood scales 2 and 3) (12.1%) (p Conclusion: This study underscored the relevance of gender and disease severity in occipital involvement in PHL. Females had significantly higher rates of occipital involvement, suggesting that gender differences are critical in understanding PHL progression. Future research should aim to validate these findings, with an aim to refine therapeutic and surgical approaches to improve patient outcomes.

Acne Vulgaris in Jeddah Medical Students: Prevalence, Severity, Self-Report, and Treatment Practices

Acne is a common skin disorder of teenagers and continues into adulthood. Research has been limited regarding acne prevalence, perception and health care utilization in Saudi Arabia. The objective of this study was to assess acne prevalence in final year female medical students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia using the global acne grading system (GAGS) compared with student’s self-report of their acne. This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 151 students during 2016, in which students were interviewed subjectively and examined objectively by a trained physician. This study showed that acne was reported subjectively by 83.4% of female students compared to 98% of students assessed objectively by the global acne grading system. 14.6% of students claimed having no acne while it was objectively present, which was statistically significant (Χ2 = 15.4, P 2 months in 39.1% of students. Acne was present in 41.1% of the students parents compared to 83.4% in their siblings. A total of 41.7% of student had trunk acne. 60.9% of students had scarring and 72.8% of them had pigmentation. Moderate to severe acne students had higher siblings acne history of 95.2% (Χ2 = 5.85, P 2 = 4.05, P 2 = 4.87, P < 0.05) which was statistically significant. Our study confirms that acne is very common in female medical students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with a prevalence rate of 98%. Knowledge regarding acne treatment was inadequate demonstrating the need for educational and awareness programs about early treatment that will prevent suffering from acne scarring or pigmentation.

Hair Transplantation into the Nape of the Neck

Background: Hair loss at the nape of the neck causes embarrassment and psychological stress in a number of patients due to a variety of causes including acne keloidalis nuchae and traction alopecia. Objectives: To report a case of hair transplantation into the nape of the neck as a treatment option for scarring resulting from acne keloidalis nuchae. Methods: 700 grafts where transplanted from the occipital donor area and transplanted by follicular unit extraction (FUE) into the nape area of a male patient with recurrent scarring folliculitis in that area. Results: Hair Restoration was successful with natural looking results. More tumescence than usual and skin traction was necessary to stabilize the skin during graft insertion due to soft skin in the nape area. Conclusions: Hair Restoration Surgery into the nape of the neck is an option for patients with hair loss in that area. FUE is the best method of hair transplantation allowing the selection of 1 and 2 hair FUE grafts in order to achieve a natural looking result in the nape area.