Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Nov-Dec;14(6):191-196.
doi: 10.4103/ijt.ijt_90_21. Epub 2023 Jan 31.

Hair Aging and Hair Disorders in Elderly Patients

Affiliations
Review

Hair Aging and Hair Disorders in Elderly Patients

Alessia Villani et al. Int J Trichology. 2022 Nov-Dec.

Abstract

Hair loss in elderly patients is a common complaint. It can be related to different conditions that affect patients' quality of life and represents a challenge for dermatologists. It affects both men and women during the aging process with an estimated percentage of balding after 65 years of age of 53% and 37%, respectively. Androgenetic alopecia, frontal fibrosing alopecia, senile alopecia, and erosive pustular dermatosis of the scalp are the hair diseases most frequently described in this age group. The objective of this review is to summarize the current knowledge about alopecia affecting elderly patients, differentiating between chronological hair aging signs and pathological changes, to help clinicians, offer an adequate management of these disorders to their patients.

Keywords: Alopecia; androgenetic alopecia; frontal fibrosing alopecia; hair aging; weathering.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Santos Z, Avci P, Hamblin MR. Drug discovery for alopecia: Gone today, hair tomorrow. Expert Opin Drug Discov. 2015;10:269–92. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Conic RR, Juhasz M, Rambhia P, Damiani G, Atanaskova-Mesinkovska N, Piliang M, et al. Characterizing hair loss in the elderly: An observational study of 163 patients. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2019;33:e226–8. - PubMed
    1. Ji J, Ho BS, Qian G, Xie XM, Bigliardi PL, Bigliardi-Qi M. Aging in hair follicle stem cells and niche microenvironment. J Dermatol. 2017;44:1097–104. - PubMed
    1. Torres F. Androgenetic, diffuse and senescent alopecia in men: Practical evaluation and management. Curr Probl Dermatol. 2015;47:33–44. - PubMed
    1. Hordinsky M, Sawaya M, Roberts JL. Hair loss and hirsutism in the elderly. Clin Geriatr Med. 2002;18:121–33. vii. - PubMed