Alopecia mucinosa or follicular mucinosis – the problem is terminology!

Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis: A 40 year retrospect

“…8,23,24 However, the term ''epithelial mucinosis'' is more appropriate as the mucin is rarely associated with follicles. [23][24][25][26][27] The exact relationship between epithelial mucinosis and EPF is unclear. We believe the two are distinct entities that are often associated with another.…”

“…8,35,36 There is also a striking resemblance between EPF with epithelial mucinosis and a separate clinical entity, alopecia mucinosa, which is considered by some a potential first stage of mycosis fungoides. [23][24][25][26][27] The association between EPF and lymphoma as well as the similarity to alopecia mucinosa prompted investigation into potential T-cell clonality in EPF. However, heteroduplex polymerase chain reaction analysis failed to detect rearrangement in one study.…”

Management of primary cicatricial alopecias: options for treatment

“…AM is characterized by distinctive skin lesions associated with histological evidence of mucin deposition within the hair follicle. The term follicular mucinosis (FM) is commonly used interchangeably with AM; however, FM should be regarded as a histological reaction pattern seen in a number of conditions, and not as a specific disease entity per se 211 …”

Cutaneous mucinoses

“…386,387 A study of T-cell clonality in follicular mucinosis has shown a monoclonal T-cell population in all patients with associated cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and also in 9 of 16 patients with the primary form of the disease. 395,396 Contrary views still exist. 389 A more recent study from Graz, Austria, has also cast doubt on the validity of the continued separation of the so-called 'primary form' of follicular mucinosis from the lymphoma-associated group.…”