TLDR Lack of small, fine hair on the front hairline is a key sign of frontal fibrosing alopecia.
In a retrospective analysis of videodermatoscopy (VD) images from 34 women with pathologically confirmed frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) exclusively involving the frontotemporal area, researchers found that the absence of vellus hairs in the frontotemporal hairline was a significant VD feature, observed in 94% of cases. Other VD features included perifollicular scaling in 79% of cases, absence of follicular openings in 65% of cases, brown halos/white dots in 44% of cases, pili torti in 26% of cases, and black dots/broken hairs in 15% of cases. The study concluded that the absence of vellus hair in the frontotemporal hairline is a simple diagnostic VD hallmark of FFA, which could be useful in early stages of the disease and in differential diagnosis from other types of alopecia involving the scalp margin in female patients. This feature was not observed in other types of hair loss such as androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, or traction alopecia, which were analyzed for comparison.
166 citations,
April 2012 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Mostly postmenopausal Caucasian women get Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia, which often includes eyebrow loss and has limited treatment success.
245 citations,
March 2012 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Dermatoscopy is useful for identifying different hair and scalp conditions and can reduce the need for biopsies.
Dermatoscopy and videodermatoscopy are useful for diagnosing and monitoring various skin, hair, and nail conditions.
33 citations,
January 2010 in “Case reports in dermatology” Dermoscopy helps diagnose frontal fibrosing alopecia by distinguishing it from other hair loss conditions.
150 citations,
April 2008 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Scalp dermoscopy is good for diagnosing a type of hair loss and helps choose the best spots for biopsy.
2 citations,
July 2018 in “Elsevier eBooks” Trichoscopy is a useful tool for diagnosing and managing hair and scalp conditions, often better than traditional methods.
96 citations,
January 2013 in “International Journal of Trichology” Trichoscopy is a useful, non-invasive way to diagnose different types of hair loss.
69 citations,
August 2014 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Trichoscopy is a quick, cost-effective tool for diagnosing different hair loss conditions.
245 citations,
March 2012 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Dermatoscopy is useful for identifying different hair and scalp conditions and can reduce the need for biopsies.
69 citations,
January 2015 in “Current problems in dermatology” Trichoscopy is a quick, noninvasive method to diagnose hair and scalp disorders, often reducing the need for biopsies.
