Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Scalp Arising in a Site of Synthetic Hair Grafts

Synthetic hair implantation was developed in the 1970s and initially gained popularity until major cutaneous complications, such as facial swelling, severe dermatitis, recurrent cellulitis, and cicatricial alopecia, became an issue. In particular, the procedure has been suggested to have a possible causal relationship with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). This article describes the third reported case in the English literature of SCC arising in a site of synthetic hair grafts. The patient was an 80-year-old man with a prominent verrucous tumor in the parietal region; he had undergone synthetic hair implantation for the past 28 years. The pathological diagnosis of SCC was made by dermal punch biopsy, and computed tomography images revealed cranial osteolytic changes, with possible direct dural tumor invasion. Extensive resection of the tumor and reconstruction were performed following downsizing radiotherapy. The protruding tumor was excised with the adjacent portion of the parietal bone. Several synthetic hair grafts were found stuck in the cranium. The defect area was reconstructed with a synthetic bone material and a free latissimus dorsi muscle flap with skin graft. The pathological examination revealed well-differentiated SCC surrounded by numerous synthetic hair grafts inducing inflammatory cell infiltration and severe cicatrizing fibrous changes. The postoperative course was uneventful, and no recurrence or metastasis was observed at 9 months postoperatively.