Dealing With Loss: Simplified Diagnostic Approach for Alopecia

The document from March 28, 2011, addresses the difficulties in diagnosing and classifying alopecia, especially cicatricial alopecia, due to its complexity and the ambiguity in distinguishing between types. It proposes a simplified diagnostic approach by categorizing non-scarring alopecia into a few types and cicatricial alopecia into lymphocyte-mediated and neutrophil-mediated subtypes. The author questions the common association of lupus erythematosus and lichen planus in diagnoses and highlights the usefulness of transverse sectioning in biopsy analysis, as well as the potential of the Ho-Vert technique to improve diagnostic accuracy. The document emphasizes the need for more research and improved diagnostic techniques in the field of alopecia.