Fig. 3.

“Swarm of Bees” appearance of inflammatory infiltrate. In the AA hair follicle, it is believed that increased activity of MHC class I and MHC class II is associated with leukocyte recruitment to the hair bulb. This image depicts collapse of the hair follicle immune privilege, leading to a swarm of CD8⁺ T-cells, CD4⁺ T-cells, antigen-presenting cells, and mast cells surrounding the follicle. These immunoinflammatory cells cause hair growth cycle disruption and follicle damage. Created with BioRender.com.