This is another example of a case of alopecia where the hair loss is related to irregularities of the hair shaft. Intermittent hair follicle dystrophy involves the dystrophy (the weakening and eventual wasting away) of the hairs. The hair shafts become breakable and present irregular losses of cuticles, horizontal and vertical cracks and vertical ridges. There is also abnormal keratinization (the process by which keratin, the protein that makes up hair, is produced) as well as an accumulation of fluid in the outer root sheath of the hair shaft.
Intermittent hair follicle dystrophy usually occurs among the hairs of the scalp and is unlikely to affect the eyebrows or the eyelashes. It was first described in 1986 in a six-year-old girl who experienced an important loss of hair with periods of partial remission.
Cases of intermittent hair follicle dystrophy, or symptoms that appear to be indicative of the condition, should be reported to a medical professional as soon as possible.