Female Pattern Hair Loss in Females and Males: A Quantitative Trichoscopic Analysis in Chinese Han Patients

March 2021 in “ Frontiers in Medicine ”

Xi Chen, Xiangqian Li, Baifu Chen, Yue Yin, Jianzhong Zhang, Cheng Zhou

female pattern hair loss FPHL hair density hair shaft diameter vellus hair single hair follicle unit vertex area androgenetic alopecia AGA female pattern baldness male pattern baldness

TLDR Female pattern hair loss shows similar characteristics in both genders and should be classified by hair loss patterns, not gender.

The study quantitatively analyzed female pattern hair loss (FPHL) in Chinese Han patients, comparing 38 FPHL patients to 35 normal subjects. It found that FPHL patients had significantly lower hair density and hair shaft diameter, and higher vellus hair and single hair follicle unit ratios, especially in the vertex area. No significant gender differences were observed. The severity of FPHL correlated with a progressive decrease in hair density and shaft diameter, and an increase in vellus hair and single hair follicle units. The study also included 2,140 male androgenetic alopecia (AGA) patients, with 84 diagnosed with FPHL, suggesting similar characteristics of FPHL in both genders and highlighting the need for a classification system based on hair loss patterns rather than gender. The small sample size, particularly the 10 male FPHL subjects, was noted as a limitation.

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