Hair and Scalp Dermatoscopy

    March 2012 in “ Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology ”
    Mariya Miteva, Antonella Tosti
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    TLDR Dermatoscopy is useful for identifying different hair and scalp conditions and can reduce the need for biopsies.
    The document from 2012 reviews the use of trichoscopy, a form of dermatoscopy, for diagnosing and monitoring hair and scalp disorders, noting its underutilization. It provides information on dermoscopic features of common conditions, aiding in the diagnosis of disorders like tinea capitis, alopecia areata (AA), androgenetic alopecia, and distinguishing between scarring and nonscarring alopecia. The review summarizes diagnostic features and their pathological correlations, discusses the necessary magnification for optimal evaluation, and details the examination of a normal scalp. It also describes specific features of AA, such as broken hairs, tapering hairs, pseudo-monilethrix hairs, and clustered short vellus hairs, and differentiates AA from trichotillomania by the presence of coiled hairs. The document concludes that dermatoscopy is valuable for differentiating types of alopecia, diagnosing conditions like tinea capitis, and reducing the need for scalp biopsies.
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