Lipedematous alopecia with mucinosis: report of the first case in Taiwan

Lipedematous alopecia is an uncommon disease that mainly affects African American and Egyptian women. This report is of an 18-year-old Taiwanese woman who presented with asymptomatic boggy and thickened scalp for 10 years. In the last 6 months, there was diffuse hair loss on the affected scalp without scarring. Histopathologically, there were increased thickness of subcutaneous fat layer, mild perivascular lymphocytic infiltration, and separated collagen bundles in the dermis. Alcian blue stain demonstrated mucin deposition in the dermis and subcutis, whereas magnetic resonance imaging showed thickened scalp with expanded subcutaneous fat layer. The clinical findings and imaging study established the diagnosis of lipedematous alopecia. The pathogenesis and disease etiology remain unclear. The coexistence of mucin is extremely rare and its significance should be further investigated.