Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia
CCCA Resource Center
The most common scarring hair loss in Black women — and one of the most frequently missed.
Overview
What this center covers
CCCA usually begins at the crown and spreads outward. Because early changes can look like ordinary thinning or breakage, years often pass before anyone names it. Recognition matters: scarring that has already formed cannot be reversed, but progression can often be slowed.
In this center
- How CCCA differs from breakage and shedding
- Why a scalp biopsy is sometimes recommended
- What inflammation looks like before scarring appears
- Styling, heat and tension questions people actually ask
Changes worth noticing
- • Gradual thinning that starts at the crown
- • Tenderness, itching, burning or tingling of the scalp
- • Shiny skin or loss of visible follicle openings
- • Hair that will not grow back in one area over months
This is education, not a diagnosis. A qualified professional is the only person who can tell you what is happening on your scalp.
Come Prepared
Questions to bring to your next appointment
People who arrive with specific questions tend to leave with clearer answers.
What is causing the change at my crown?
Would a biopsy help confirm what is happening?
Is there active inflammation right now?
What can I do to protect the hair I still have?
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