The ProScope HR: A Promising Diagnostic Tool

The document reports on the use of the ProScope HR, a handheld digital microscopic device, as a diagnostic tool for hair loss and scalp disorders. The study involved photographing the scalps of 10 female patients with alopecia areata and 10 female patients with androgenetic alopecia using various magnifications of the ProScope HR. The device, which connects to computers via USB and does not require immersion oil, allowed for the identification of specific features associated with each type of alopecia. For alopecia areata, features such as yellow dots, black dots, broken hairs, dystrophic hairs, tapering hairs, and miniaturized hairs were observed. For androgenetic alopecia, brown peripilar casts and miniaturized hairs were noted. The polarizing lens improved visualization of certain features like dystrophic hairs and dermal vessels. The study concluded that the ProScope HR is easy to use, affordable, and provides image quality equivalent to other dermoscopes, suggesting it warrants further study as a diagnostic tool for hair loss and other skin conditions.