Qualification of a New and Precise Automatic Tool for the Assessment of Hair Diameters in Phototrichograms

January 2011 in “ Skin Research and Technology ”

Stefan Scheede, A. Herpens, Frank Burmeister, Bernhard Oltrogge, K. Saenger, Thomas Schmidt‐Rose, Volker Schreiner, Horst Wenck, Torsten Knieps, Thomas Berlage

phototrichogram hair diameters pattern recognition software immersion fluid ZETA image analysis tool cosmetic hair growth studies

Studysummary This study developed a high-resolution phototrichogram system that can automatically and accurately assess hair growth metrics in cosmetic trials, achieving over 90% correlation with manual measurements.

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In 2011, a study evaluated a new automatic phototrichogram system with a high-resolution DSLR camera and pattern recognition software for measuring hair diameters. The system aimed to provide precise hair thickness measurements using an alternative immersion fluid to minimize hair swelling. The results indicated that the automatic measurements correlated highly with manual measurements, with over 90% correlation for the same hairs and at least 80% when comparing automatic results with manual measurements of the same images. The study confirmed the system's reliability and precision, with a mean error of ±4µm for manual analysis and high reproducibility (intra-assay variability >95%) and consistency in hair orientation. The ZETA image analysis tool, trained for this system, showed a very good correlation with manual analysis (R² = 0.926). The automated method could reduce costs and workload in cosmetic hair growth studies.

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