by Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH

In a recent issue of the American Journal of Dermatopathology, Lynch and colleagues report on the case of a 21-year-old man who suffered hair loss following a tick bite to the scalp. [2] The man presented with nonscarring alopecia, a pattern of hair loss similar to alopecia-areata, also known as spot baldness.

Tick bite-induced nonscarring alopecia typically presents as patches, often described as “motheaten” or patients may have nodular, blood crusted lesions. According to the authors, symptoms include pain, pruritus or swelling. “There is usually a history of tick bite to affected areas, but lack of patient-reported tick attachment does not rule out this diagnosis.”

The patient’s nonscarring tick-borne alopecia was complicated by external trauma including hair pulling and lichen simplex chronicus, a condition of thick, leathery, brownish skin caused by chronic itching and scratching.

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