Dermoscopy Findings of Alopecia Areata in an African-American Patient

The 2008 study "Dermoscopy findings of alopecia areata in an African-American patient" reported a case of scalp dermoscopy of alopecia areata in an African-American patient. The patient, a 53-year-old woman, presented with several patches of alopecia on her scalp. Dermoscopy showed a diffuse honeycomb-like pigmented network, few yellow dots, and white dots. The study concluded that skin color may affect dermoscopic findings in alopecia areata. In this African-American patient, the dermoscopy showed a pigmented network, which was previously considered characteristic for androgenic alopecia, and white dots, which were considered characteristic for cicatricial alopecia. The study suggested that further research is needed to understand the presence of white dots in alopecia areata.