Presents as smooth, well-demarcated patches of complete hair loss, unlike the broken hairs of varying lengths seen in trichotillomania.
A progressive, scarring alopecia starting at the crown, leading to smooth, shiny skin without the broken hairs of trichotillomania.
A scarring alopecia with atrophic, dyspigmented plaques and follicular plugging, a different morphology than pulled hair.
A distinct pattern of scarring hair loss with band-like recession of the frontal hairline.
A scarring alopecia characterized by perifollicular erythema and scale, which is an inflammatory process, not a traumatic one.
Can cause scarring alopecia ('en coup de sabre'), but presents as an indurated, firm plaque on the scalp.
Secondary syphilis can cause a 'moth-eaten' alopecia, which is a diffuse, patchy thinning rather than an area of broken hairs.
Tinea capitis causes scaling, inflammation, and 'black dot' appearance from hairs breaking at the scalp level, and is confirmed by fungal culture.
Results from chronic tension from hairstyles, causing hair loss along the hairline, not in irregular patches from pulling.
