Dermoscopic Approach to Nonscarring Alopecia
January 2017
in “
International Journal of Dermoscopy
”
dermoscopy trichoscopy nonscarring alopecia alopecia areata androgenetic alopecia trichotillomania telogen effluvium yellow dots black dots hair shaft variability follicular microhemorrhage bar code-like hair tinea capitis noncicatricial alopecia cicatricial alopecia hair loss hair pulling disorder stress-related hair loss ringworm of the scalp
TLDR Dermoscopy is useful for identifying and tracking different types of hair loss without scarring.
The 2017 document reviews the effectiveness of dermoscopy, or trichoscopy, in diagnosing various types of nonscarring alopecia, such as alopecia areata, androgenetic alopecia, trichotillomania, and telogen effluvium. It highlights specific dermoscopic features like yellow dots, black dots, and hair shaft variability that help differentiate between these conditions. The document cites several studies that have identified unique dermoscopic signs for different alopecias, such as follicular microhemorrhage for trichotillomania and bar code-like hair for tinea capitis. The authors conclude that dermoscopy is a valuable tool for diagnosing and monitoring nonscarring alopecia, with certain dermoscopic parameters being statistically significant in distinguishing noncicatricial from cicatricial alopecia. However, the document does not provide participant numbers from the studies, so the strength of the evidence cannot be determined based on sample size.
