Color-Transition Sign: A Useful Trichoscopic Finding for Differentiating Alopecia Areata Incognita from Telogen Effluvium

    March 2018 in “ The Journal of Dermatology ”
    Misaki Kinoshita‐Ise, Masafumi Fukuyama, Manabu Ohyama
    Image of study
    TLDR The "color-transition sign" helps tell apart alopecia areata incognita from telogen effluvium by looking at hair color changes.
    In the 2018 letter to the editor, the authors described the "color-transition sign" as a useful trichoscopic finding for differentiating alopecia areata incognita (AAI) from telogen effluvium (TE). They presented a case of a 1-year-old Japanese girl with diffuse hair loss without visible alopecic patches, where trichoscopy revealed a substantial number of hair shafts with a brighter brownish color at their proximal portion, indicating a long-standing assault on hair follicles. This sign, characterized by color graduation from black to clear between the distal end and the proximal root of the hair shaft, was distinct from the natural proximal depigmentation seen in TE. The authors suggested that the color-transition sign could help in the non-invasive distinction of AAI from TE, which is important for better management of this unusual subset of AA. They acknowledged that further case accumulation is necessary to confirm the utility of this sign.
    Discuss this study in the Community →

    Research cited in this study

    4 / 4 results

    Related Community Posts Join

    6 / 1000+ results

      community Is there any chance of improvement?

      in Minoxidil  7 upvotes 2 years ago
      A 19-year-old experiencing severe hair loss since 16 is using a treatment regimen of 5% minoxidil, 0.1% finasteride topical solution, 3% procapil hair serum, and 0.5 mg dutasteride daily. They are concerned about the effectiveness and potential shedding phase, with advice suggesting noticeable changes in 6 to 8 months.

      community To all the young non-responders out there

      in Update  120 upvotes 2 years ago
      A 21 year old who has been taking various treatments for hair loss such as dutasteride, RU58841, minoxidil and finasteride with no results. Other users share their experiences of dealing with hair loss at an early age and offer advice on how to cope.

      community Is this retrograde alopecia ??

      in Chat  25 upvotes 1 month ago
      The conversation discusses hair thinning and treatments like finasteride, dutasteride, oral and topical minoxidil, and RU58841. Users share experiences with retrograde alopecia, hair transplants, and stress-related hair loss, while also considering thyroid issues and other potential causes.

      community Dutasteride 1 year regression. Depressing. (With pictures for proof)

      in Progress Pictures  14 upvotes 1 year ago
      A user shared their experience of hair loss progression after one year on dutasteride, expressing disappointment with no improvement and considering other treatments like RU58841. Other users offered mixed responses, some seeing no change, others suggesting the hair loss might have been worse without treatment, and discussing the role of testosterone and DHT in hair loss.

    Related Research

    3 / 3 results