CCCA

A 42-year-old Black woman presents with progressive hair loss over the vertex and crown for the past 3 years. She reports tenderness and occasional burning at the affected site. On examination, the area marked **A** in the diagram shows a smooth, shiny, alopecic patch with complete loss of follicular ostia, extending centrifugally in a symmetric pattern. Trichoscopy reveals peripilar white-grey halos around remaining hairs and compound follicles with multiple hairs emerging from single ostia. A 4 mm punch biopsy through the active edge is performed. Which of the following histopathological findings would be the EARLIEST and MOST CHARACTERISTIC feature of the condition shown at **A**?