Ambiguous Alopecia in a 36-Year-Old Woman
October 2012
Studysummary This article presents a dermatological case involving a 36-year-old woman with ambiguous alopecia, evaluated using videodermatoscopy, but it reports no new research findings or clinical outcomes. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
A 36-year-old woman presented to a dermatology clinic with a 1-year history of an itchy scalp and forehead, increased dandruff, and ambiguous alopecia over the crown area without erythema or obvious scaling. She had been previously treated with topical steroids for presumed seborrheic dermatitis. Videodermatoscopy showed multiple areas with unusual looking hairs. The document poses questions regarding the most likely diagnosis, the dermatoscopic diagnostic feature of the condition, and the treatment options, suggesting possibilities such as trichotillomania, tinea capitis, alopecia areata, female androgenetic alopecia, and seborrheic dermatitis, with corresponding diagnostic features and treatments including systemic steroids, antibiotics, topical minoxidil, and antifungals. However, the document does not provide the answers to these questions or the outcome for the patient.
