Dermoscopic Study of Hair Loss in Females and Its Correlation with Serum Ferritin Levels

October 2019

Vinma H. Shetty, Hafsa Eram, Saumya Goel, Anuradha Kakkanatt Babu

dermoscopy serum ferritin telogen effluvium female pattern hair loss alopecia areata hemoglobin alopecia FPHL

TLDR Low serum ferritin levels are linked to specific types of hair loss in women.

This study involved 70 female patients and used dermoscopy to evaluate scalp conditions and correlate them with serum ferritin levels. The most common cause of alopecia was telogen effluvium, and the most frequent dermoscopic finding was thin hair. The study found a correlation between reduced serum ferritin levels and specific patterns of alopecia, such as telogen effluvium, female pattern hair loss (FPHL), and alopecia areata. The conclusion emphasized that dermoscopy could aid in diagnosing challenging alopecia cases and highlighted the association between lower serum ferritin and hemoglobin levels with certain types of alopecia.

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