Citation

Bouschon P, Bursztejn AC, Waton J, Brault F, Schmutz JL. Ann. Dermatol. Venereol. 2018; 145(5): 359-364.

Vernacular Title

Brûlure du cuir chevelu induite par les décolorations capillaires.

Affiliation

Service de dermatologie-allergologie, CHRU Brabois, 6, rue du Morvan, 54500 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Masson Editeur)

DOI

10.1016/j.annder.2018.02.004

PMID

29550112

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Hair bleaching is increasingly being carried out in hairdressing salons. The products used are a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and persulfates, both active chemical agents. Scalp burns secondary to hair bleaching are a traumatic adverse effect rarely discussed in publications that continue to be little known among healthcare professionals.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We report the case of a 15-year-old girl with a plaque of scarring alopecia on the vertex. This lesion resulted from a deep burn following a hair-bleaching procedure. Healing took around 4 months, resulting in discomfort for our patient.

DISCUSSION: This is a rare case of scarring alopecia following a basic chemical burn to the scalp. The oxidation reaction induced by the mixture of hydrogen peroxide and persulfates, prepared in a basic medium, causes bleaching of the melanin pigments in hair. The clinical presentation of a single, well limited, painful, oozing ulceration located at the vertex was similar to the other cases published in the literature. Although a chemical burning mechanism is most often incriminated, the procedure is always coupled with use of a heat source and associated thermal burn may occur. The delayed appearance of the lesion appears to be caused by the forming of surfactants by the hydrogen peroxide/persulfate mixture, resulting in slow dissolution of the oxidizing compounds within the stratum corneum.

Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Language: fr

Keywords

Alopécie cicatricielle; Brûlure chimique; Chemical burn; Décoloration capillaire; Hair bleaching; Hydrogen peroxide; Peroxyde d’hydrogène; Persulfates; Scarring alopecia