To the Editor.—
Destructive scalp alopecia in psoriasis is not an easy concept to accept. However, I have a child with chronic psoriasis under my care with the condition.
Report of a Case.—
A boy, aged 11, attending a boarding school, came to my clinic in October 1976 with widespread plaqued psoriasis, the scalp and hairline being particularly caked so that the scalp was barely visible through the enveloped hair. According to his mother, he had had a diaper area eruption when 2 months old that cleared when he stopped wearing diapers, and then his skin remained clear until the age of 5 years. At that time, psoriasis appeared first over the buttocks and then spread from that site; the skin had not been free of eruption since that time. Scalp scaling had been present for two years.A nonsteroid-containing coal tar application and a tar shampoo to be used