Alopecia Areata Predictive Score: A New Trichoscopy-Based Tool to Predict Treatment Outcome in Patients with Patchy Alopecia Areata
July 2019
in “
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology
”
TLDR A new tool can predict hair regrowth in patchy alopecia areata patients.
The study assessed the predictive value of trichoscopy for therapeutic outcomes in 65 patients with patchy alopecia areata. Trichoscopy was performed at baseline and 2 months after treatment initiation, with patients classified as responders (27) or nonresponders (38) after 6 months. Significant differences were found in trichoscopic features between the groups after 2 months: nonresponders had more black dots, broken hairs, exclamation mark hairs, and tapered hairs, while responders had more upright regrowing hairs and pigtail hairs. The study developed a trichoscopy-based Alopecia Areata Predictive Score ranging from -4 to 2, correlating with probabilities of hair regrowth from 0% to 98.3%. The score provided a new tool to predict treatment outcomes in patients with patchy alopecia areata.