Female Androgenetic Alopecia Among Market Women in Lagos, Nigeria

October 2021 in “ West African journal of medicine ”

E L Anaba, Ayesha Akinkugbe, Olufolakemi M. Cole-Adeife, Olusola Ayanlowo

female androgenetic alopecia FAGA Olsen's scale trichoscopy white dots reduced hair density vellus hairs honeycomb pigment network variable hair diameter female pattern hair loss hair thinning hair density vellus hair pigment network

TLDR Hair loss in women in Lagos, Nigeria is rare but severe when it occurs, with symptoms similar to those seen worldwide.

The study "Female Androgenetic Alopecia amongst Market Women in Lagos, Nigeria" conducted a cross-sectional descriptive analysis of 207 adult female traders in Lagos, Nigeria in February 2020. The prevalence of female androgenetic alopecia (FAGA) was found to be 4.8% (10 out of 207 participants), with a median participant age of 59 years. The severity of FAGA, assessed using the Olsen's scale, was grade I, II, and III in 30%, 20%, and 50% of the cases respectively, and severity increased with age. Trichoscopy features included prominent white dots (90%), reduced hair density (90%), vellus hairs (70%), preserved honeycomb pigment network (70%), and variable hair diameter (60%). The study concluded that androgenetic alopecia is uncommon in females, but when present, it is severe. The trichoscopy features among African females in Nigeria are comparable to those in studies from other parts of the world.

View this study on ncbi.nlm.nih.gov →